Running the Race Well
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INTRO
INTRO
Good morning, my name is Fisher, I am one of the pastors here at Charity
and today I have the honor of preaching to you on the last Sunday of 2025
man, that sounds weird to say…
how did we get here so fast
As I spent this last week preparing for this sermon and reflecting on this past year, I found myself saying something to myself over and over again
something that I believe you most likely have thought to yourself as well these past few days as the holidays have come to an end and the new year is upon us
Those words are: “We made it”
And as I thought about that statement I came to the realization that there is a spectrum on which we find ourselves when we make this statment
The best way I can explain this is by describing life as a race around a track
and every year is just another lap around the track
and there are moments during each lap that put wind in our sails making us run faster or suck the wind right out of our sails making us almost want to quit running altogether
For some of you, you are coming to the finish line of this year’s lap and your “we made it” is really
“we did it!”
yes, there were challenges along the way but this lap was a pr (personal best) as there were moments this year that made it one of the best year
Graduation
Got that job or promotion you been wanting
Got married or watched your kid get married
Got your first home or finished your dream one
Had your first kid or grandkid… or maybe your 5th
You, a family member, or a friend beat cancer or a sickness
You finally eliminated the debt in your life
You finally kicked the addiction
whatever it was for you, this year was one of the best yet which makes your “we made it” really a “We did it!”
Yet, for some of you, as you come the finish line of this year’s lap your “we made it” is really a “How did we make it?”
yes, there were good moments but they are overshadowed by the tragedies and hardships that came the last 12 months
You didn’t walk across that stage because of hard circumstances
You didn’t get that promotion or you loss your job
You still can’t afford a home, maybe your loss your home in an accident, or you can’t afford to turn your power back on
The wedding had to be canceled or you officially filed for divorce
Instead of celebrating the birth of a child or grandchild you found yourself mourning the loss of one
Your family member or friend didn’t win the fight against cancer
Instead of eliminating the debt somehow the pile seems even more impossible to get rid of
Instead of kicking the addiction, it seems to have an ever greater hold on you than ever
whatever it may have been for you, this year was one of the worst ones yet which has turned your “we made it” into a “how did we make it?”
And the truth of the matter is this…
no matter which of these you find yourself statements you are saying as we come to the end of this years lap the next lap is coming
the race of life doesn’t stop nor slow down in the midst of our wins nor losses
TENSION
TENSION
Not only that but as Christians we must not forget that this race of life is not the only race we are running
As Christians we are also running in the Race of Faith
Over and over again in Scripture we see the authors equate the Christian life to a race
not a sprint but a marathon that last the entirety of our earthly life
the starting line being at our salvation and the finish line being the pearly gates
The Apostle Paul used this analogy at the end of his life saying:
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
My question for us this morning is this:
How do we run this race of faith well?
As we come to the beginning of 2026, how can we go into this year both as individuals and as a church run the race of faith well
whether your races started 2 weeks ago like Caleb’s or 65 years go
whether you are coming to the end of one of you best year of life yet or hardest
How do we go into 2026 running the race of faith well?
Well, the good news for us is that our text this morning is going to give us 3 ways to help us run this race of faith well
TRUTH
TRUTH
Context
The author of Hebrews is unknown
But we do know that his primary goal was to use his readers that Jesus is the ultimate and final fulfillment of the OT
We pick up this morning after the author has just finished what is known as the “hall of faith” which is a list of heroes of the faith from the OT
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.
In these 2 verse the author gives us 3 way that enable us to run the race of faith well
We Run the Race of Faith Well by:
Looking Back at Others
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
In order to understand what the author means by this we must know some context
“Therefore” means we need to go back to see what is there for
Remember that chapter 11 is the “Hall of Faith”
A long list of men and women from the OT that displayed great faith
Noah
Abraham
Rehab
Moeses
Jacob
Enoch
David
And as the author concluded his list in chapter 11 he then transitions to the application of this list in chapter 12
“since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses… let us run the race with endurance”
“Cloud of Witnesses” = Those who ran the race faithfully and have finished
It’s everyone listed in chapter 11
and not only them but every christ who has passes before us
Even the author understood the could of witnesses was more than just those he listed
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—
He understood there isn’t enough time in the world to tell of all the witnesses
and He is just pulling from the OT
didn’t include Paul, John, Peter, or anyone from the NT
And he doesn’t even know the names of the countless others of the past 2,000 years of church history
But if the cloud of witnesses are all those who have ran the race faithfully and finished and now surround us
what are they actually doing?
how are they helping us ran the race any better?
They are not witnesses of our lives; they are witnesses to our lives
The saints in heaven are not watching every move we make down here on earth but instead their life is a example to us of what faith and endurance looks like
their lives reminds us that we are not alone in our suffering and hardships
that it is possible to keep the faith even in the midst of the deepest valleys
And it is through their example that they are cheering us on as we run the race right now
Those who have finished the race encourage those who are running the race
A great example of this is a cross country meet that I once witnessed
We are encouraged to run the race of faith well by looking back at others
people in scripture
people in church history
people in your family or church family
And when running the race get hard (hardships, deaths, depression, anxiety, persecution) we look to them who have finished the race through all of it and let their life be a witness, a encouragement to us
But we don’t just look backwards…
We Run the Race of Faith Well by:
2. Looking Presently at Ourselves
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,
What is interesting here is that the author says to lay aside any weight and sin
I mean as Christian’s we know that sin is bad that like Christian 101
Sin is the thing that separated us from God
Sin is the thing we were enslaved
Sin is the every thing Jesus died on the cross for
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Those of us who have put our faith and trust in Christ have been free from our sins
they no longer have any power over us because we are not in Christ
So the author of Hebrews is pretty clear…
if that is the case then lay all sin aside
do not let the sin that you have been freed from hinder you from running the race you’ve been called to
But the author doesn’t just say to lay aside sin but any weight as well
but what is a weight?
Weights = something that isn’t a sin but still hinders you from running the race well
There are so many things in our lives that are not inherently sinful in and of themselves yet can hinder us to faithfully or consistently following Jesus
Social Media or cell phones in general
Friend Groups
Sports, whether playing or watching
BF/GF
Shows or movies we watch
Music we listen too
Bible studies
The list could go on forever it seems
and there are so many weights and sins in our lives that hinder us from running the race of faith well… so what are we to do?
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,
The author is clear… lay them aside
Lay Aside = to put off or lay down
We see this same greek word twice elsewhere in the NT
used to describe the men “laying down” their coats at Paul’s feet to stone Steven (Acts 7)
Paul would later use it when tell us to put off our old self of sin and put on our new self in Christ in Eph. 4
We must be will to give up ANYTHING that hinders us from running the race well
See a lot of us are running the race like a Dad bringing the groceries in
In order to run the race well we must lay aside any weight or sin
so my question for you this morning is simple: what do you need to lay aside to run the race well?
Are their sins in your life that you’ve been freed form but you keep putting the chains back on?
Are their weights in your life that might not be sinful in and of themselves yet are hindering or distracting you from running the race well?
Yet… we don’t just run the race well by looking back nor just looking at the present… the author gives us one last thing to do
We Run the Race of Faith Well by:
3. Looking Forward to Jesus
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 we run this race of faith our eyes are to locked on Jesus
We have all heard the saying “keep your eyes on the prize”
and that is exactly what the author is getting at here
Jesus is the prize at the end of the race
He is the goal
He is who we are running for and towards
but why?
Because He is the founder and perfecter of our faith
As Founder, Jesus began the race in us
What the author wants us to understand about this race of faith we find ourselves in is that we did not start this race
Our faith did not begin because you were smart enough, spiritual enough, or disciplined enough to choose God on our own
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Here we see that even our faith is a gift
Jesus is the one who placed us on the starting line
He is the one who opened our eyes
He is the one who began the work in us
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
And the good news for us is that:
As Perfecter, Jesus finishes the race in us
the same Jesus who started the race in us is the same Jesus who will finish the race
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
But how can this be?
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.
It is possible because of the cross
because Jesus ran the race that we could never run
As humans born with a sin nature we were all born running this race of life destined for a finish line of eternal wrath in a place called hell
with perfection being God requirement to enter heaven at end of our life there was nothing we could do
Jesus, born without a sin nature, fully God and fully man ran the race of life perfectly
He never stumbled in obedience
He never sinned in thought, word, or deed
He met the perfect standard that God requires
Yet instead of crossing the finish line and receiving glory, Jesus took upon Himself the punishment we deserved
Why?
“for the joy that was set before him”
Jesus ran His race all the way through suffering, rejection, shame, and death
He crossed the finish line at the cross, not for His sin but for ours
And because He finished His race, we are invited into His victory
That is why scriptures like Philippians 1:6 are such good news
Because it reminds us that our confidence is not in how well we run
Our confidence is in who is running with us
Jesus doesn’t just start the race and wait at the finish line
He stays with us in the middle
in the pain,
in our weakness,
in the moments we feel like collapsing
In the 1992 Olympics, a runner named Derek Redmond was competing in the 400-meter semifinal
He had trained his entire life for that moment.
Yet, halfway through the race, he tore his hamstring
He collapsed to the track in pain
but then something incredible happened…
A man broke through the security barriers, ran onto the track, and picked him up
It was his father…
and with Derek’s arm around his dad’s shoulder, they finished the race together.
Derek didn’t finish because he was strong enough
He finished because his father refused to let him finish alone
Church, that is a picture of Hebrews 12
Jesus began the race in us by grace
And when we are weak, broken, or ready to quit, He does not abandon u
He comes to us
He lifts us us
And He carries us to the finish line
Not because we earned it
Not because we ran well enough
But because He loves usand He always finishes what He starts
Here is our hope as we run the race of faith:
Jesus began the race in us, and Jesus will finish the race in us
As we run this race, there will be moments when looking back at others feels like it does nothing
Yes, they may have suffered similar hardships
Yes, their stories may encourage us
But they aren’t you, and they aren’t here to carry you through your pain.
There will also be moments when looking at ourselves feels exhausting
Moments when sins you’ve been freed from feel like chains you just can’t break
Moments when weights you know should be laid down feel impossible to drop
Moments when you pick the chains back up or add the weight back on because the world says it’s fine… even though you know it’s not
And it’s in those moments that we must remember this:
We were never meant to run this race by looking backward alone
We were never meant to run this race by looking inward alone
We run the race of faith well only when we look to Jesus
Because when others can’t help us, He can.
When our strength fails, His doesn’t.
When we stumble, He lifts us up.
And when we feel like quitting, He carries us to the finish.
Jesus began the race in us, Jesus walks the race with us, and Jesus will finish the race in us
So fix your eyes on Him
the founder, the perfecter, and the faithful Savior who never leaves His people halfway to the finish line
RESPONSE
RESPONSE
Unbeliever
Unbeliever
If you’re here this morning and you would not call yourself a Christian, I want to speak directly to you for a moment.
Right now, you are running one race
the race of life
And the truth is, you might be running it really well
Each lap might feel like it’s getting better
You might be successful, fulfilled, disciplined, and put together
Or you may have walked through these doors today because this last lap was the hardest one yet, and you thought maybe church could help you start 2026 differently.
But here is the reality Scripture gives us, whether life feels good or unbearably hard:
No matter how well you run the race of life, the finish line is the same without Christ.
The Bible is clear that apart from Jesus, the finish line is eternal separation from God in hell
Not because God is cruel
Not because He enjoys punishment
But because He is holy and sin cannot dwell in His presence.
Hell is not just fire and judgment;
it is eternity without God.
No peace
No joy
No hope
No relief
And the most sobering part is this… None of us know how many laps we have left
No one in this room is promised tomorrow
No one is guaranteed another year
The race of life can end suddenly and when it does, eternity begins.
But here is the good news:
Jesus stepped into our race
He ran the race perfectly
He took the punishment we deserved
And He now offers you entry into a new race: the race of faith.
Today, you can step onto a new starting line
Not by cleaning yourself up
Not by promising to do better
But by repenting of your sin and trusting in Christ alone
If you feel the weight of eternity this morning that is not fear tactics
That is God’s grace calling you into the race before it’s too late
Believer
Believer
And for those of you who are believers, those already running the race of faith, I want to speak to you as well
Some of you are tired
Some of you are wounded
Some of you are dragging chains you were freed from long ago
Some of you are carrying weights you know you were never meant to run with
And maybe this last lap has made you wonder if you can keep going
Hear this clearly: The race does not depend on your strength…It depends on your Savior
Jesus did not start this race in you to abandon you halfway through
He did not save you to leave you stranded in weakness
He is the founder and He is the perfecter
So your response today may be repentance
It may be laying something down
It may be fixing your eyes back on Jesus after running distracted for far too long
Whatever this next lap holds, may you remember that you do not run it alone
CLOSE
CLOSE
So the question before all of us this morning is simple:
Which race are you running? And where is it taking you?
If you are not in Christ, today is the day to enter the race of faith
And if you are in Christ, today is the day to fix your eyes on Him again.
Because Jesus began the race in us, and Jesus will finish the race in us
