Running with Endurance
Notes
Transcript
Tonight we are going to be out of the book of Joshua. Ken texted me late last night and I told him that I could pinch hit for him so tonight we are going to be looking at one of my favorite sections of Scripture which is Hebrews 12:1-2. As much as I love this section of Scripture, I was going through my files to see if I had ever preached on it before and apparently I either haven’t or they were so bad that God removed them from existence or at least from the internet. But a couple years, right when the pandemic started I was really bored and for a while I had mentioned that I wanted to write a book and so that’s exactly what I did. I sat down in front of the computer in my office and little by little each day, I wrote a book on Hebrews 12:1-2. It’s never seen the light of day, it’ll probably never be published but my mom said it was pretty good so I’ll take her word for it. The reason that I love these verses is because there is just so much in a small space for us to work with. Every time I read these verses I feel like I walk away with an emphasis or a point that I did not think of before. That’s the beauty of a living and breathing testimony which is the Word of God. I know that there is so much depth to the Word that we haven’t touched the surface of that any time I go to preach a text that I have already preached once or twice before, it’s never the same because we are always growing and learning more about what God has to say to us. So even this morning as I was studying this passage some more, when the day comes for me to go back to that book that’ll never be released, I know that I could go back in and add to it because my understanding has been added to. So, what we will do tonight is just walk through these verses and if we get through all three that’s great but we are just going to take these verses in sections and see what we get through by the end of the night. We can discuss as we go through it and I’ll take any questions that you all might have but first let’s open up in prayer and then we will read these verses.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Therefore, since we (Verse 1)
We don’t have to travel very far to get to our first stopping point. Let’s look at just the first 3 words in verse 1, “Therefore, since we.” You’ve probably heard it said before that when we are studying the Bible that when you get to the word “therefore” the best question you can ask is, “What is the therefore, there for?” It’s a good reminder for us that the verses of the Bible were not written in separation from that which came before it. Hebrews 12 does not exist in isolation from Hebrews 11 and what has come before it. The author of Hebrews, which I’m probably in the minority when it comes to authorship, but I still think that there is a good chance that this is a sermon from the Apostle Paul that was recorded, but whomever it is, wants us to not disconnect what was said immediately before verse 1. That is why that therefore is there for. So, what is Hebrews 11 about? It’s about faith right? We don’t have time to read the whole chapter but if you have looked at it, it is all about the great heroes of the faith, men like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses and so many more. The author talks about how the faith of these men and women propelled them to endure the things that they went through. Hebrews 11:13-16 says
All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.
And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went 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 a city for them.
These heroes of the faith did not make the physical promises the goal of their existence but instead they looked ahead to something far better. God fulfills the promise to an even greater degree than what they every could have possibly imagined. If we look at Abraham, he never received the land of the promise in his lifetime but he received a country far greater. Faith in Christ always results in something far greater than anything that we could possess here on earth. In Hebrews 11:39–40 we read: “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” These men and women are approved by God solely through their faith and while they did not receive the promise in their physical lives, God provided something far greater. They were before the cross so they looked ahead to the cross while everyone this side of the cross looks back on how Christ fulfills the promise. Both groups, pre and post cross are saved by what Jesus accomplishes on the cross. Both are saved by grace alone through faith alone by Christ alone. So because of what was said about the faith of these heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11, the author goes on to really what should be the application of that section in verses 1-2. Notice that the word that the author uses is “we”. Now don’t worry we aren’t going to take this one word at a time but there is something to think about with the word we. The author is saying, “Look, we all can benefit from this. This is for all of us as Christians. Everything that is spoken about in the Word of God and as seen in these individuals is for our encouragement and for our good.” Think of what Paul says in 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.” And maybe even more famously he says in 1 Corinthians 10:11 “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” John Owen was a Puritan, an absolute genius in theology and in preaching, an author that has written quite possibly some of the greatest books on the Christian faith every written with books like The Glory of Christ and The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, he has a 7 volume commentary on the book of Hebrews and he said of these first three words of verse 1: “The apostle joins himself with these Hebrews, not only the better to insinuate the exhortation into their minds, by engaging himself with them, but also to intimate that the greatest and strongest of believers stand in need of this encouragement. For it is a provision that God has made for our benefit, and that such as is useful and needful for us. This inclusion comprises all believers that were then in the world, or shall be so to the end of it.” This is for our good, this is all so that we may better endure as believers. The same God that provided and sustained the believers of the Old Testament is the same God that provides and sustains the believers of today. Any comments or questions on that before we move to the next little section? Look at the next few words, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us…”
have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us
Now we sort of already talked about this but who are these witnesses? Well it’s the faithful that were mentioned back in chapter 11. Their past faithfulness, their past success should be an encouragement to us to endure because God saw to it that they endured to the end. For them to be a witness does not mean that all the saints throughout history are looking at us like fish in an aquarium making sure that we are running well in our faith but the word witness means that they act as an example or a witness to what God has done through them. They are testifying to what God has done. Even in death, their testimony has not been extinguished. Warren Wiersbe said, “The word witnesses does not mean spectators. These people are not witnessing what we are doing; rather, they are bearing witness to us that God can see us through. God bore witness to them and they are bearing witness now to us.” Now this verse doesn’t mean that we should be reading the Bible in a moralistic fashion. It doesn’t mean, Joseph fled from sexual temptation so be like Joseph and flee from sexual temptation. Or think of the classic example of David took on Goliath so be like David and all the giants in your life will be taken care of. No, what it means is that when we study the Bible, we should look squarely at what God does through these men and women. Instead we look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” It’s important that we have strong Godly men and women to look up to. I think it’s wise to seek to imitate them as far as they imitate Christ. One of the reasons that I quote so many pastors and teachers in my sermons is because I believe that these are people that you would benefit from knowing. I don’t think that the list of the faithful stops in Hebrews 11. I know that these men are flawed individuals but they are people that God has used to shape me into the man that I am today. I think of someone like my Grandfather who is still alive and how he raised 3 Christ-fearing boys and how those three sons have shared the faith with their own children. I think of some of the professors that have carried me on in the faith, men like Rich Brown that helped to bestow in me a love for youth ministry or Jim Shaddix that helped me to really understand what it means to preach sermons that require people to respond to some element of them. I think of my old youth pastor and how his first sermon was the first sermon that I can say I fell in love with. I think of someone like Tim Keller that showed me that preaching can reach both the head and the heart. I think of John Piper who showed me the joy of preaching faithfully. I think of a few men that I wish I could have known that have so greatly impacted me. I say that if I could spend a year learning from anyone it would be John Calvin, if I could learn theology from anyone it would be John Owen, if I could spend a month in a church with one person it would be Jonathan Edwards, if I could spend a weekend with anyone it would be Charles Spurgeon, if I could learn preaching from anyone it would be Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and if I could live the life of just one person for one day it would be George Whitefield. Some of these are men that have been dead for almost 500 years but I have been so blessed from their faithfulness. God in His goodness brings people, even stories, into our lives all the time that are meant to shape and mold us into who God wants us to be. Even just recently I heard a story about Adrian Rodgers that just rocked me. Danny Akin, president over at Southeastern was telling a story about Dr. Rogers and how one day at chapel, Rogers came pretty much last minute to preach and he got in to town super late, got to chapel and Dr. Akin knew that when he was done speaking that there was going to be a long line of people that wanted to meet with Dr. Rogers and about 45 minutes go by and Akin says to Adrian’s wife, “This has gone on too long, let’s go get him so he can rest.” Joyce, Adrian’s wife said, “If you want to go get him, go and try but I’m staying here.” Dr. Akin then said that when he got up onto the stage and said, “Dr. Rogers, let’s go so you can rest” that Adrian Rogers turned to him and gently but very firmly said, “Little Danny, when I am ready to leave I will let you know.” Dr. Akin scurries back by Mrs. Rogers and this is what he said happened, “At 12:15 p.m., I walked back up as the last person in line approached. It was a small grey-headed lady probably in her 80s. She approached Dr. Rogers and said, “I have heard you preach for years, but I never thought I would get to meet you. I just want to touch your cheek.” She, with a shaking elderly hand, reached up and placed that wrinkled hand on the cheek of this great servant of Christ. He gently placed his hand over hers, bent over and gave her a kiss on her cheek. With sweet tears running down her face, she turned and walked away. As she did, Adrian looked at me and said, “Now we can go.” Adrian Rogers had a way to make every single person feel like they were his priority and the most important person in the world. I think of my own ministry and while I don’t have a line of people wanting to come up and talk to me every Sunday, I want to be like Dr. Rogers. I want people who talk to me to clearly see that I love them. So who are the people in your life that you consider a great witness?
Let us also lay aside every encumbrance (weight) and the sin
So we have this great cloud of witnesses but what do we do? The next section says, “Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin.” Some translations have that word encumbrance translated as weight. So, lay aside every weight and sin. It’s not enough to just look to the faithful as evidence of what God has been and is doing if sin is never dealt with. The issue of our lives is not how do we become less sinful? The issue or questions should be, “How can I be holy in the eyes of God.” What this means then is that everything that is holding us back from faithfulness needs to be laid aside, it has to be cast away. If we want to run the race well, we cannot be weighed down by things that are not pleasing to the Lord. Think of olympic swimmers. I always thought that it was weird that they shave the hair off of their bodies and why do they do that? It’s because it slows them down in the water right? Like we wouldn’t probably think that it would make that big of a difference but it does! Same thing is true to the Christian life. Even a speck of sin can disrupt our race. Anything that we prioritize at a higher level than Jesus is a weight to the race that we are running. Going back to John Owen, he said, “These things are called a weight not from their own nature for they are light as vanity, but from the consequent of our setting our hearts and affections upon them. When we so embrace them, so adhere unto them, as to take them unto our minds and affections, they are a weight wherewith no man is able to run a Christian race.” There is a picking up and putting down that is necessary for the Christian life. We see in Matthew 16:24-25
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
That denial of ourselves is so important when it comes to the Christian life. We can’t exalt Christ if we are still exalting ourselves. Good things are still good things but they can’t be the greatest thing. Our spouse, our kids, our job, while good things cannot and will not ever be God to us. We don’t need to spend too much time talking about the danger of sin because hopefully we know the danger and evil of sin. Thomas Watson said, “Sin has the devil for its father, shame for its companion, and death for its wages.” John Flavel, another Puritan said, “Oh the depth of the evil of sin! If ever you wish to see how great and horrid an evil sin is, measure it in your thoughts, either by the infinite holiness and excellency of God, who is wronged by it, or by the infinite sufferings of Christ, who died to satisfy it, and then you will have deeper apprehensions of the evil of sin.” I think that one of the major shortcomings of the 21st century church is that we don’t talk about the evil of sin. Instead it seems like churches mostly talk about it as if it was this little whoopsie daisy that needs a band aid over it. Sin is serious! It took only 1 to condemn the world and there is so much evil in it that the Son of God has to die to atone for those that are lost. If anyone should be fleeing sin and warning of the dangers of sin, it’s us! Spurgeon used to say that “If Christ has died for me, I cannot trifle with the evil which killed my best friend!” Sin is serious and just because Christ’s sacrifice covers every sin you’ve done in the past, every sin you are doing currently, and any sin you will do in the future, that does not mean that we just keep on going about our lives as if Christ makes no difference. This is exactly what Paul says in Romans 6:1–2 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” The problem with this weight and sin is that it is easy isn’t it? Sin still comes natural to sinful creatures and that is what the author of Hebrews says next when he says sin which so easily entangles us.
which so easily entangles us
We need to resist sin because it is so easy for a domino effect to start happening when it comes to sin. If we give sin and the devil an inch, it’ll take a mile. Look at how quickly something like lust can turn into sexual sin. Think of how many Christian marriages and even well known Christian pastors have lost their ministries because of this allowance of sin into their lives. This is an easy trap to fall into. So, what should we do? We need to resist sin. Remember what James says in James 4:7 “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Thomas Manton said, “Though we cannot be altogether without sin, yet we must not altogether leave off to resist sin. Sin reigns where it is not resisted.” One thing that I remember hearing John Piper say years ago was that if we want to be faithful, we cannot be content with just asking if a certain thing is a sin or not. We need to ask does this thing get in my way of Christ? Does it make us run to the arms of the Savior or does it make us push Him aside? We resist sin and one of the best ways that we can resist sin is through numbers. The Christian life is not to be lived in isolation. We need a great cloud of witnesses now that can come alongside us. This also means that we have the responsibility as brothers and sisters in the faith to warn other Christians when we see them doing things that are contrary to Scripture. It is unloving if we say nothing. Now their is a way to do this gently and lovingly but it is still something that we need to be mindful of. Will they always like it? No but it’ll help in the end. Any thoughts before we look at the next little section?
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us
The last part of verse 1 says, “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Just to quickly go over this, we need to be reminded that Christianity is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Christianity is not one of those races where you put forth all this energy at the start, no it requires a constant source of grace, a constant refilling of strength by the Holy Spirit. The race that we have before us is not a straight path. There are times where you are going to feel like you are running down hill and times when you are struggling to move uphill. Whatever race God has before you, it is ultimately for your good and ultimately it will require endurance. We need to remember that we need God just as much in the good times as we do in the bad times. In fact, I would argue that we may need Him more in the good because it’s in the good when I think Christians have the greater tendency to push Him off to the side. When things are bad, we know our desperation. We know that we need God to give us the strength to endure but when things are going well, when the race goes from an uphill battle to a downhill jog, that’s when we need a holy kick in the pants! What part of the race are you running right now because I guarantee you that whatever part of life you are in right now, you need the Lord pacing you out so that you can endure and run the race faithfully. So before we get to verse 2, any thoughts or questions on verse 1?
Fixing our eyes on Jesus (Verse 2)
The best and really the only way to run this race that is the Christian life is by fixing our eyes on Jesus. Some translations like the ESV will say that we are to be looking to Jesus but I think the NASB translates it better by saying that we’re to be fixing our eye on Jesus. Looking to Jesus I feel implies something almost more casual. Like a look at Him for a bit and then when we have everything taken care of we can get back to business as usual. Fixing our eye shows that we are locked in. We have determined to put Christ ever before us as that which is before all things and above all things. If I have my eyes fixed on Jesus, it’s not chasing after the things that come into my peripherals. It’s me actively fighting against the distractions of life. John MacArthur said, “It is not that we try hard not to look at this or that or the other things that may distract us. If our focus is truly on Jesus Christ, we will see everything else in its right perspective. When our eyes are on the Lord, the Holy Spirit has the perfect opportunity to use us, to get us running and winning.” I just finished writing a family Bible study on the book of Philippians that we will probably put out towards the end of the month and in Philippians 3:12-14 Paul says:
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul had his eye set not on his past achievements, which there were plenty of but he had his eyes focused squarely on Christ. You cannot run forward for very long if you keep looking behind you. Olympic runners don’t start the race looking at the crowd, looking behind them at the other runners or looking to see who is around them because the moment they take their eye off of the finish line that is straight ahead of them, what happens? They fall. They get tripped up. See how that relates to Christianity? The moment you take your eye off of Jesus is the moment when your capacity to slip begins to rise. You may not trip up immediately but everything is in motion for you to take a tumble. Any thoughts on this section?
The author and perfecter of faith
Alright what does the author of Hebrews mean when he refers to Jesus as the author and perfecter of faith? Every aspect of our salvation is centered on Jesus Christ. You were saved, are saved, and will be saved not based on what you bring to the equation but based entirely on what God brings to the equation. Salvation is entirely a work of God from beginning to end. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “The Bible itself makes it very plain and clear that the whole essence of the Christian position is dependent upon the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus is the One that begins our faith and the one that perfects our faith and sees it to its glorious end. Paul says in Philippians 1:6 “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Or think about the chain of salvation in Romans 8:29–30 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” We are predestined in eternity past, justified in eternity present, and will be glorified in eternity future. Nowhere in any of that can we say that we are the starting or finishing point of our faith. No, it is entirely a work of God. Jesus is the object of our faith which means that He is the author or beginner of our faith He’s the perfecter because He is the one that will carry us and our faith to completion. What He begins, He sees to the end.
who for the joy set before Him endured the cross
As we keep going through the second verse, the author really emphasizes the humility of Christ, he emphasizes reason after reason why we should have our eyes fixed firmly on Christ and the one that grabbed hold of me the most, it did back in 2020 as I was writing about it and even now 5 years later it’s still just incredible to me and that is this line of, “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross.” The cross is everything. James Montgomery Boice said, “The cross stands as the focal point of the Christian faith. Without the cross the Bible is an enigma, and the Gospel of salvation is an empty hope.” But how does Jesus endure the cross? Because there is joy that is set before Him and I always thought, joy seems like an odd word to put there. I was wondering how do we get to joy? Because I’ve read the Gospels, I’ve seen the great battle that was done in the Garden of Gethsemane, the trials and the torture, the agony of the cross, I struggled to see the joy in that. How does Jesus get to joy there? First off we get rid of the mindset that joy is equal to happiness. A Christian can rejoice in the fires of persecution and be unhappy about it. I don’t think Christ was crucified with a big smile on His face. No the joy that was beyond the cross, the certainty of that is what caused Jesus to endure the cross. Jesus says in John 12:31–33 “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.” That happens at the cross. The drawing of all God’s people happens based off of what happens on Calvary. Or look a little bit later in John 17:1-5
Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You,
even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.
“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
“I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.
“Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
The glory that lies ahead, the praise that God deserves, that joy is what carries Christ to the cross and through the cross. The fact that God will be glorified above all else in the death and resurrection of the Son is that which brings joy to the Son and it is that fullness of joy that He lived for.
Despising the shame
Connected with that is the phrase, “Despising the shame”. To despise the shame meant that Jesus willingly went through the agony, embarrassment, and shame of the cross. David Allen said,
Jesus “despised” or “disdained” the shame of the cross in the sense that he willingly accepted the ignominy of his public crucifixion and did not let either its suffering or its shame deter him from his goal.
David L. Allen
We don’t need to spend time talking too much about what went into the act of crucifixion but we do know that it was designed to cause agonizing pain, kill you, and in the process bring shame upon you. Most crucifixion victims would be crucified naked which was shameful in itself and then after you were killed, since you were considered an enemy of Rome, most crucifixion victims would be tossed in a mass grave with other criminals. The family couldn’t even collect your body. On top of all that there was still the curse of being hung on a tree and this is what Paul says in Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” Jesus did not let the shame or that tree deter Him from completing His mission. The glory of His Heavenly Father and the redemption of His people, that’s what pushed Him to despise the shame. Now we see the reward in the next phrase right at the end of verse 2: and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Before we get there, any other thoughts?
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God
I think one of the most neglected doctrines, neglected truths of Christianity is the ascension of Jesus. Hebrews 1:3 says of Jesus, “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” How do we know that we are accepted through Christ’s sacrifice? How do we know that we have a mediator between God and men? How do we know that we have access to the Father that we did not have before? How do we know that we will stand redeemed at the end? How do we know that everything that has been mentioned up to this point will happen? Because Jesus Christ ascended and now sits at the right hand of God the Father. All authority in Heaven and on earth and under the earth is given to the Son of God. R.T. France said, “Our faith begins and ends in him, and his seat of authority at God’s right hand assures us he will not let us down.” It is because Christ has sat down at the right hand of God that we know that we can stand before God completely accepted on the basis of what Christ has done. John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace has an incredible sermon called The Ascension of the Messiah to Glory that is completely free to read and I think even to listen to online and one point that stood out to me is what Newton says in regards to what Jesus is doing now as we are living out what is happening in Hebrews 12:1-2. Newton says, “Though the heavens must receive and contain the holy human nature, till the restitution of all things, He is not unmindful of them in their present circumstances. He is seated upon the Throne of universal dominion, and He exercises His authority and rule, with an especial view to their welfare. While He pleads for them on high, He is present with them below by the power of His Spirit. He comforts their hearts, enlivens their assembles, and manages their concerns. He is their Shepherd, who gives them food, controls their enemies, revives their fainting spirits, and restores their wanderings (Psalm 23) His ear is open to their prayers, His eye is upon them in every situation, and His arm stretched forth for their relief. Therefore, though persecuted, they are not forsaken; though cast down, they are not destroyed. And He has promised that He will not leave them, until He has done all that for them, which His Word has taught them to hope for; until He has made them victorious over all their enemies, and put the conqueror’s song in their mouths, and a crown of life upon their heads.” That’s the Savior that we have. He has not ascended to leave us weak and powerless. He ascends so that we too may reach glory. He ascends and sits at the right hand of power so that we may know that His will shall be done on earth as it is in Heaven. So we can run! We can run with endurance because we know that Christ has conquered the grave and we stand accepted by Him and through His redeeming work. Hopefully you can see why I love this section of Scripture so much. There’s so much more that we could look at but what questions or thoughts do you all have with the time that we have left?
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself (Verse 3)
(If there’s time) Hebrews 12:3
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
So that you will not grow weary and lose heart
Paul says in Romans 8:16–17 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
