Just Do it
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“Just Do It”
1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up.
Now
-The scene is the Boston Marathon
-The winner has been announce, another Kenyan has won the Marathon
-The Kenyan accepts the reward looking like he just woke up from nap, not completed a 26.2 mile course
-What can we surmise about the Kenyan after just completing a race that they won by 2 hours?
-They are well trained; they put their bodies through intense pressure both mentally and physically
-The Kenyans train at altitudes of 7500 ft above sea level, they train were the air is thinnest
-They run twice a day both am/pm
-They run on an incline for the duration of the course
-There course has rocks, holes, and debris. They only work out on a track once a week
-American runners who train with them report that while we use: Gps Trackers, Heart Rate Monitors, Mp3 players, Water bottles, sweat resistance suits, and only the best of shoes.
-The Kenyans wear a windbreaker and a pair of decent shoes.
Then
-The audience who the Hebrews writer is addressing is facing the same type of opposition
-They are being persecuted by Rome and being mocked for their faith by the Jews, their property is also being confiscated.
-The writer of Hebrews in clearly warning believers to stay on the track, stay in the race, preserver don’t quit. Notice these verses:
1 For this reason, we must pay attention all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away. 2 For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, 3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation had its beginning when it was spoken of by the Lord, and it was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
12 Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.
1 Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, 2 teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And we will do this if God permits.
4 For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, who shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, 6 and who have fallen away. This is because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding him up to contempt.
26 For if we deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
32 Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way. 34 For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, because you know that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession. 35 So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.
37 For yet in a very little while,
the Coming One will come and not delay.
38 But my righteous one will live by faith;
and if he draws back,
I have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.
-The book of Hebrews has two classes of people it is dealing with: Unbelievers who came to the race and got into the starting blocks, and took off when the gun sounded…but they have subsequently walk off the track when they realized that this race was a marathon not a sprint.
-Then Believers who started the Race, but have slowed down, gotten distracted and are discouraged.
-The analogy of Hebrews chapter 12 is a race, Jesus is awarding Medals, and the Cloud of witnesses are those who have endured the same race as we are trying to complete. Their lives formulate a living example about what it takes to finish your course.
-In the crowd watching us run are false teachers they are the ones telling you to slow down, quit or run in the wrong direction.
Always-Believers have been gifted by God with the ability to endure high intensity training which prepares us to live a victorious christian life
I. Lay vs1- “Strip”
I. Lay vs1- “Strip”
1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us,
(v.1) “therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,” The truths of this chapter are built upon the truths of chapter 11. Don’t have to time to preach it, but it goes over all the OT saints who dealt with great challenges but overcame them.....
the writer of Hebrews tells us these witnesses surround us and give us the motivation to keep pressing, to keep going, to keep pushing.
(v.1) 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”
Let us lay-this verb is in the middle voice. The middle voice is when the one performing the action is also receiving the action.
The middle voice is usual used when the person does an action they receive. Examples: Cutting your own hair, Losing weight, scratching your back.
The writer tells us we need to lay something aside, then he tell us what that is:
Every Weight- Tumor, Bulk or Mass- Swelling Flesh or excess clothing. These are the things that weigh us down making our journey even harder.
These weights are amoral distraction, things that are not necessarily sinful but keep us distracted from the Race. Examples: TV, Our Hobbies, all of are gadgets(Americans over 18 years on average spend over 4 hours a day watching TV & 3:45 minutes on the smart phones)
And Sin- “so easily entangles us”These are the things that trip us up and entangles us like a spider web.
These are things that are explicitly sinful. Pride of life(arrogance), Lust of the flesh(sexual immorality), Lust of the eyes(Covetousness)
“so easily ensnares us”
Do not walk over these words. This is for the prideful person who thinks they have distraction and sins under control. The Writer of Hebrews tell us if we are not on alert and watchful sin will “so easily” cause us to stumble. Just ask Ole Pete. Lord I don’t know what these other disciples will do when persecution comes, but I know one person who will have your back till the end.
(v.1) To lay aside- is to strip oneself of anything that hinders you from running a successful race. This weight is both external and internal. The Hebrews had become distracted about the persecution that was happening in the church. So much so that some of them were turning away from the faith, because they were not willing to pay the cost of the association with Jesus Christ. The race had become to hard, the mountain were to high so they just gave up and left the track and went home.
This refers to things you willfully do, and things that you allow to distract you. Distractions have a way a slipping into your life, and causing your Christian Walk to go from a run to a walk to a break.
Marriage Illustration/Basketball Illustration
Application
1. Home/Relationship
2. School/Job
3. Private Life (Thought Life) - who are you when nobodies is around.
Transition Statement: After we daily strip ourselves of added weight which holds us back the writer of Hebrews tell us to “Leave”
Transition Statement: After we daily strip ourselves of added weight which holds us back the writer of Hebrews tell us to “Leave”
II. Leave (Run) vs.1
II. Leave (Run) vs.1
1 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,
-(v.1b) “let us” The writer of Hebrews speaking in the third person says “let us” he included himself which shows that he was humble and that he understood that the call to endurance is both for the people and the Teacher. The writer of Hebrews was challenging the believers to allow the plundering of their goods, ignore the mocking from the Jews, and pray for those who have left the church because of tribulations. He has called them to stay focused on the race and if you had become weighted down with worry and discouragement to get back up and start running again.
-(v.1b) endurance- This is a Capacity to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances.
-(v.1b) The writer choose an interesting term to describe the christian walk. He describe the race as a race of endurance. This tells you that this is not a sprint, but a marathon.
-(v.1b) “Set before us”
It is both:
1. Group race-(As a body of believers) Complete God’s Mission for the church. It is our responsibility to challenge, rebuke, and encourage other believers on the track. Not only are we trying to get across the finish line we ought to be helping others cross as well.
1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
2. Individual Race-each of us has our own journey or marathon full of obstacles, trials, tribulation, defeats, and victories.
APPLICATION
1. Some of us starting thinking about the Christian life and decided we needed a break: One hour/one day, one day/one week, one week/one month, one month/one year, one year/a decade.
2. Still at church going through the motion.
-Your job situation has you distracted
-Your earthly relationship has you distracted
-Your children and their needs have you distracted.
-Your past has you distracted.
3. If I looked at your Face book account would I say that you are sitting or running? Or have you even started to run?
4. Some of you stopped because of jealousy. You looked at what God was doing in the life of another believer, or what you see happening to unbelievers (blessing) and you didn’t like it. My race is harder than theirs I want their life Read (John 21:18-22)
-It is not enough to just Lay, Leave, not we have to Look.
III. Look v.2
III. Look v.2
2 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.
-(v.2) Fixing- to turn the eye away from one thing and then focus on another.
-In this text this is a willful turn from Internal/External distraction both in thought/deed, to a one-minded focus on Christ. Knowing that he is both the beginning of your salvation, sustainer of your salvation, and the finisher. This knowledge should stabilize your life and cause you to become more focused in your Christian walk. (Teaching a baby to walk)
-Jesus’ example
51 When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem;
Thomas Henry Huxley was a devoted disciple of Charles Darwin. Famous biologist, teacher, and author. Defender of the theory of evolution. Bold, convincing, self avowed humanist. Traveling lecturer.
Having finished another series of public assaults against several truths Christian held sacred, Huxley was in a hurry the following morning to catch his train to the next city. He took on of Dublin’s famous horse drawn taxis and settled back with his eyes closed to rest himself for a few minutes. He assumed the driver had been told the destination by the hotel doorman, so all he had said as he got in was, “Hurry, I’m almost late. Drive fast!” The horses lurched forward and galloped across Dublin at a vigorous pace. Before long Huxley glanced out the window and frowned as he realized they were going west, away from the sun, not toward it.
Leaning forward, the scholar shouted, “Do you know where you are going?” Without looking back, the driver yelled a classic line, not meant to be humorous. No your honor! But I am driving fast.
Many of us are disciplined when it comes to sin, we are showing effort and running, but we are going the wrong way, because our focus is not on Christ.
1. College/School
2. Marriage
3. Sports
4. Job (Money is your motivation)
5. Relationship (Dr Phil handbook of relationship)
Your effort must be directed at a Christ, any other pursuit will leave unfulfilled.
Conclusion
-Therefore in (v.1) points to those clouds of witness.
-These witness lives are testifying of God’s training regimen.
-Speak up Noah…..by faith he took 120 to build a boat, while preaching 5 word message..”it is going to rain”….Speak up Abram…his son Isaac….Speak up Moses…The Red Sea……Speak up David…Protection against Lion & Bear & Goliath…Speak up Daniel Lion’s Den….Speak up Hebrew boys….Speak up Isaiah Sawn in two….Speak up Jeremiah chained in a hole still preaching
-These witness would say that we train just like the Kenyans
-The Christian life is always uphill; straining the muscle, while at the same time growing them
-Christian life is full of obstacles, rocks, and debris.
-Christian always trains above sea level: God thins out what is necessary for the body. Training above sea level expands the lungs, which gives you the ability to take in more air, which is essential for what God has called for you.
-The Christian life is a call to obedience often with limited resources. We don’t always get the: Mp3, Gps, Heart Monitors. Sometimes we get just some Shoes and a Windbreaker, and God call us climb 7500 ft above sea level.
-But just like the Kenyans who always win, when you follow God’s training regiment you will be victorious, you will endure.
- As Christians we “Just do it”
-Some of you have been on the track taking a break when you should running. (Confess) get up and run.
-Some of you have been on the track still stretching never making a commitment to the Lord. I call you today to stop stretching and get into the race. The race will be hard full of trials and tribulations, but once you have really tasted Jesus you will never turn back. "I consider that our present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18