Hebrews 12:1-2

Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV

1 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.

Therefore…

Look back at Hebrews 11:1 - “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The next 39 verses unpacked great models of faith that we considered and learned from for many weeks. I called them the superstars of the Bible. Chapter 12 calls them a great cloud of witnesses that surround us. A cheering section so to speak. Except, they don’t boo at our disappointments and we don’t engage to hear their cheers. They are witnesses.

What are they witnesses of? Running the race is worth the risk and the reward. Pursuing God’s glory in all things is the right pursuit. God’s promises do not fail when our spiritual eyes do not fail. Spiritual victories are experienced under much worse circumstances and with less resources. Like us, they chased “well done, good and faithful servant.”

Worship like Abel

Walk like Enoch

Work like Noah

Witness like Abraham

Throughout 2026, we’re going to study Hebrews 12-13, then move to Titus, take time for Easter, then jump into Acts. Worship, walk, work and witness are very important words for 2026. We’re going to learn how to run the race better. We’re going to learn what the Bible says about pursuing God’s glory not just individually, but as a church. We’re going to learn that being relationally connected to one another and inviting others into that connection matters. We’re going to learn that engaging in God’s mission is truly the victorious Christian path. We’re going to see that some Christians aren’t interested in the cloud of witnesses or a victorious path. We’re going to continue engaging the 1%.

How do we worship, walk, work and witness down a victorious path in 2026?

Hebrews 12:1 - “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,”

It would be difficult to teach verses that mention running without talking about running.

Grow your endurance

The writer of Hebrews tells us to run with endurance the race that is set before us. As a runner, that phrase indicates two specific things. First, the course has been determined by somebody else and we are given the map and invited to engage just like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and everybody else in chapter 11. Second, the course is a long race. Otherwise, endurance would not be required.

Did you know the average, unfit, non-running adult can finish a 100-yard dash in about 23 seconds? We could eat a plate of cookies and go walk 100 yards without much difficulty. High school track athletes finish 100 yards in 12-14 seconds. The strategy for 100 yards is “go as fast as you can” because you only have to do it for short time and then you live the rest of your life. The strategy for our text is quite the opposite. Keep engaging the course map and progress with consistent forward momentum and realize your pace is YOUR PACE. You walking the victorious path is about you walking the victorious path, not keeping up with everybody else. Engaging the course with faithful endurance over time produces results.

How does one grow spiritual endurance? Be willing to do something you have never done. Be willing to do something you don’t want to do. Be willing to help somebody take their next step with Jesus when you are in this building. Sign up for a course map that is new to you. Step into action. Do those things until you hear the voice of God louder than the voice of personal desire.

Shed layers that hinder your walk with Jesus

The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing. One commentator said, ‘Every weight’ is “often something perfectly innocent and harmless. But it weighs us down, diverts our attention, saps our energy, dampens our enthusiasm for the things of God. We cannot win when we are carrying excess weight.”

Let me give you an example from my lifeguard training. If you ever find stranded in a large body of water, trying to keep your head above water and desperately waiting to be rescued, you should be found without clothing. I hope all of us would agree that wearing clothing is innocent, harmless and the right thing to do. However, if you are in water situation waiting to be rescued, wet clothing is excess weight that makes you heavy and will lower your body temperature dangerously faster ~ both factors require more energy to stay alive. The wise practice is to shed the layers that hinder you from staying alive.

In a running context, you don’t see distance runners with sweatpants and a hoodie on any mile. For most distance runners, the philosophy is wear the least amount of clothing weather requires and be appropriately covered. If a distance runner is worried about fashion at mile 11, mental focus weakens and the legs try to convince the brain to stop moving.

There are similarities to our walk with Jesus. We have good and great things in our lives that sometimes, not always, get in the way of our walk with Jesus. When we wonder if excess weight should be shed, do these two things. Examine the great cloud of witnesses and learn from their example. Sit down with another person (same gender) that is faithful enduring in their walk with Christ. Being relationally connected to one another and inviting others into that connection matters.

Don’t walk in your doubts alone

Every sin is excess weight and hinders our walk with Jesus. ‘Sin’ is more pointedly THE SIN. We’re talking doubting ‘by faith alone in Christ alone’. Whether a person is an authentic believer, a pretend believer, or an unbeliever, unbelief and doubt in the Lord strangles any small amount of faith a person might have.

A Boa Constrictor wraps its powerful, muscular body around the victim's chest and vital organs. It tightens its grip each time the prey exhales, applying pressure sufficient to stop blood flow to organs such as the heart and brain. This rapid cutoff of oxygen-filled blood causes the victim to lose consciousness quickly. This method is highly efficient, causing blood pressure to drop by half within just six seconds. The rapid incapacitation prevents the prey from fighting back effectively, which is a survival advantage for the snake.

The snakes first recorded action was, “Did God really say…?”

Nobody connected to this church should ever feel the need to work through something spiritually on their own. Don’t ever feel you need to work through your doubts alone. There is an enemy more powerful than a boa constrictor that is waiting for an opportunity to strangle you. Your church family wants to help you take your next step with Jesus. Please deepen your relational connection with one another while you’re trying to work through some things. If you see another person working through some things, invite them into a relational connection that matters. Always remember that Jesus has invited us into a relational connection that deeply matters.

Fix your eyes on Jesus

Look at verse 2. The founder and perfecter of our faith. Our faith, our race, our course map originated and is completed by the Lord Jesus Christ. When we continue a forward pace of faithful endurance, we are more likely to fix our eyes on Jesus.

What could we be looking at if we weren’t looking at Jesus. Flip back to Hebrews 11:23–26, “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.”

Back on October 5, we saw that Moses could have fixed his eyes on enjoyment, pleasure, affluence and status but decided that leaning into Jesus and fixing his eyes on God’s promises was greater wealth than all of it. The Psalmist agreed. Psalm 119:72 - “The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”

We have a variety of options to fix our eyes in this world. If they require that we stop looking at Jesus, they become excess weight that will hinder our walk, steal our endurance and create doubts.

In the next year, we will have an opportunity to help somebody that takes his/her eyes of Jesus or we will create an opportunity to be helped because our eyes have shifted from Jesus.

Church, I invite you in 2026 to worship, walk, work and witness more deeply than you ever have. I invite you to grow in your endurance as you allow the Holy Spirit to remove layers that hinder your fruitfulness. I invite you to become relationally connected with one another and invite others into a connection that deeply matters.

Hebrews 12-13, Titus and Acts will teach us how to grow in all of those areas.