Persevere in Faith

Context

Theme: Growing Together.

Current Guide: The author of the Letter to the Hebrews.

The great theme of the letter is that Jesus is the supreme fulfillment of promises of God contained in the Law and the Prophets and therefore Christians should endure in faith despite all challenges and so obtain the eternal life and kingdom promised in the Hebrew Scriptures and fulfilled by Christ.

Last week, we saw that the great saints of old — Abraham and Sarah — believed the promises of God. This week, Hebrews reminds us that we have inherited the same race of faith that they ran.

Today’s reading comes from Hebrews 12.

Text

Hebrews 12:1–13 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children— “My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts.” Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.”

Introduction - We are in a spiritual race

26.2 sticker on a car. What does that indicate — marathon!

Any marathon runners in the room?

A great accomplishment. Not sure if I’ll ever run a marathon.

I am a Christian. I am already running one. And so are you. Spiritual one. Running toward the finish line of glory with God and all his saints.

Are we running with perseverance or are we waiving and falling out?

Ancient Problem - Danger of giving up

Hebrews 12:1 “… let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,”

Athletic competition was familiar to the ancients as it is to us.

Running was part of the ancient Olympic games and other celebrations.

The ancients admired athletes who competed.

Runners had to contend with terrain, hills, declines, sand, rocks, heat, cold, rain, wind, sun. Endure pain in legs, knees, feet, lungs. Had to overcome mental fatigue, distraction, boredom, temptations to just slow down or quit.

In the ancient Olympic Games, the primary prize for winning an event was a wreath of wild olive leaves. It symbolized victory and honor, could be worn at the end of the competitions.

Author: we are in a race.

At the finish line is a place of victory and honor.

A place with Jesus in the presence of the glorious God. (Hebrews 12:2)

It is not going to be easy. That is to be expected. Spiritual race, spiritual challenges.

First. Hostility from sinners and a sinful world. (Sin=contrary to God and human flourishing)

Examples of ancient hostility: Social marginalization. Early Christians didn’t worship the Roman pantheon, considered threats to social structure.

Occasional flare-ups of persecution.

Hebrews 10: you’ve had to struggle with suffering, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and persecution. You’ve had your possessions plundered, you been thrown in prison.

Image: they are running. Suddenly an attacker runs out into their path and assaults m. Throws rocks, trips them. Not just once but over and over again.

Author: The opposition of sinners can cause them to grow weary and lose heart.

Result: they don’t finish the race.

Second challenge. One’s own sin.

Examples of Sin: Hebrews chapter 3 and 4. Reminds that it was because of sin that many Israelites did not enter the Promised Land to which Moses was leading them. Other people didn’t prevent them, they failed all on their own. They broke God’s commandments with revelry, gluttony and sex. They became hard-hearted and rebellious. So they perished along the way. They did not complete the race.

While they run - Sin clings closely. It weighs them down.

Image: how does marathon runner dress? Light, loose clothing. Sin makes you feel like you are wearing cargo shorts, hoodie.

Author: Sin can cause them to grow weary and lose heart and fall out along the way.

Result: they don’t finish the race.

Spiritual life is an athletic event of the soul. It can be hard — there is sin around them, sin within them that threatens to make them quit.

Current problem: Danger of Giving Up

We are in the same race as the ancient Christians.

There is the same destination. Heavenly throne in glory.

Because we are in the same spiritual race, face the same spiritual challenges: sin around us and sin within us.

Sin around us.

maybe not confiscation of property and being thrown in prison and killed.

yet there is still opposition in media we consume, social systems we live in, that cause us grief and fatigue.

Example: I can’t deal with this world anymore. Too confusing, too overwhelming. That is the danger have to anticipate.

Sin within us.

pride, materialism, envy, wrath, gluttony, lust,

Now many means to easily gratify these impulses. click the button, watch the tv, just place the bet in an app, get that substance at the corner store.

Example: I feel trapped in my own sin, addiction, bad habits. That is the challenge that threatens our race.

Desperation. I can’t deal with this world, with myself, it is all just too much…that is the danger.

All result in the same thing: losing heart and giving up. Not finishing the race.

Example of an alternate bumper sticker = 0.0. I did not run the race, not going to run it, “perfect bumper sticker for the couch potato”.

I don’t want a 0.0, couch potato Christian, we are at church because we are in the race.

Hinge - Great Resources for the challenge

Real race, real challenge. A spiritual marathon.

Good News — We have great resources to help us get our second wind. To continue the race and win it.

Ancient Solution - their resources

Hebrews says: they have a huge cheering section.

Example: the marathon runner is strengthened by the people around him. Family. Friends. Other runners. Cheering. Encouraging.

Hebrews 12:1 “…we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, …”

The heroes mention in Hebrews 11:32–40 “…? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. …They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. …for God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.”

Their race and our race is connected. They are gathered around us, encouraging, praying for us.

They have a great trainer. God himself.

They expect a parent to parent them.

They expect a coach to train them.

We have God to discipline our spirits. Like a parent he loves us. Like a coach he wants us to have the skills we need.

Discipline doesn’t feel good to us, but it is itself good, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.

A runner has an identifiable gait. If you ask: How did you learn to run like that?

Years of coaching and discipline Wasn’t always fun, but it made for a good stride.

They have a clear and empowering focus.

Hebrews 12:2 “looking to Jesus …who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.”

He is not on the sidelines. He is dead ahead. At the finish line.

Focusing on him will assure them that they can and they may win this race.

First: Jesus endured opposition from sinners and from a sinful world.

Example: He suffered on the cross, where he endured hostility the hands of sinners.

How did he handle it? He disregarded the shame…for the sake of the joy that was set before him.

Implication: With eyes on Jesus: Don’t be afraid of what this world throws at you, you can get through it and you will get through it.

Second: Jesus he kept himself free from the sin that clings and weighs down.

Example: He went into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted and battled the Devil and the flesh with fasting and prayer.

A practice he kept up regularly, often going off to pray and teaching his disciples to pray — lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Implication: With eyes on Jesus: they don’t be afraid of taking pains to overcome sin. They can do whatever it takes, more and more they will gain the peaceful stride of righteousness.

Third: Jesus knew that God loved him as his beloved son absolutely and unconditionally, even though he had to deal with hardships.

Examples:

At his baptism. You are my beloved son. Jesus believed that all through his ministry.

At the transfiguration. This is my beloved Son. Jesus believed that all the way to the cross.

At the end of his life of suffering and at his suffering death: Into your hands do I commit my spirit.

So God raised him from the dead. To glory. Where he is now.

Implication: Seeing Jesus: they can know that God loves them and will never fail them.

Therefore, surrounded by holy cheering section, being coached by God himself, eyes fixed on Jesus — RUN! Lift the drooping hands, strengthen the knees, and mark out a straight path for your feet. Run!

Current Solution - Our resources

These resources are in place for us today.

Support.

Same ancient cloud of witnesses. Abraham and Sarah and the heroes of the Bible. How would Abraham or Sarah handle this? What would David say to me right now? What encouragement can I draw from Peter?

More recent saints. Your grandparents. An old pastor. How do they encourage you?

They are alive and they are pulling for us.

We call this the communion of saints.

Present cloud of witness, to cheer each other on.

Who here is ready to support a brother or sister? Willing to pray or encourage?

We have the same divine coach.

God is prodding you along.

Who has felt guilt? Who has felt correction? All hands go up? Learn from it we become better. God is acting in our life. That is a good thing.

We have the same Jesus in view.

We can cope with the world, we can battle our sins, we can know loves us.

Example: of great loss, what do I say: “I know that God loves us…” That we see in Christ. that gets us going again.

Strengthen and second wind. Keep on!

Conclusion - Run with endurance

The marathon bumper sticker. 26.2. An accomplishment.

As Christian’s in spiritual race: Not running for bumper sticker, or wreath of olive branches, but arriving in Glory, and Christ, “well done, nice run.”