Running the Race
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Introduction
Introduction
For those who don’t know, one of the greatest generals this world has ever seen has been Alexander the Great. He was born in Macedonia, north of Greece, and from there he managed to conquer the known world, from Greece to the borders of India. At one point however, it looked like his troops were going to be defeated. Throughout all of their victories, the soldiers had taken so much plunder that they had become weighted down in combat and were not as effective.
The army of Alexander the Great was advancing on Persia. At one critical point, it appeared that his troops might be defeated. The soldiers had taken so much plunder from their previous campaigns that they had become weighted down and were losing their effectiveness in combat.
The soldiers had taken so much plunder from their previous campaigns that they had become weighted down and were losing their effectiveness in combat.
As a response, Alexander commanded that all the spoils be thrown into a heap and burned. The men complained bitterly but soon saw the wisdom of the order. Someone wrote, "It was as if wings had been given to them—they walked lightly again." Victory was assured.
This illustration is a great metaphor for the Christian life. Many times in our christian walk, we allow things to weigh us down. We are distracted by sin, by the cares of this world, and even by prosperity. We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted by the things of this world. We have a race to run.
Today, I am going to tell you three principles that you can apply in your race as a believer.
Why should you run the race?
Look to the past for inspiration.
Look to the past for inspiration.
1 Por tanto, nosotros también, teniendo en derredor nuestro tan grande nube de testigos, despojémonos de todo peso y del pecado que nos asedia, y corramos con paciencia la carrera que tenemos por delante,
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,
1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
Who are the cloud of witnesses?
The cloud of witnesses are the group of believers that he mentions in chapter 11. They were Old Testament believers who were commended for their faith.
Characteristics of cloud of witnesses
Characteristics of cloud of witnesses
They are commended for their faith ()
32 ¿Y qué más digo? Porque el tiempo me faltaría contando de Gedeón, de Barac, de Sansón, de Jefté, de David, así como de Samuel y de los profetas; 33 que por fe conquistaron reinos, hicieron justicia, alcanzaron promesas, taparon bocas de leones, 34 apagaron fuegos impetuosos, evitaron filo de espada, sacaron fuerzas de debilidad, se hicieron fuertes en batallas, pusieron en fuga ejércitos extranjeros.
32 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— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
32 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— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
They endured suffering ()
35 Las mujeres recibieron sus muertos mediante resurrección; mas otros fueron atormentados, no aceptando el rescate, a fin de obtener mejor resurrección. 36 Otros experimentaron vituperios y azotes, y a más de esto prisiones y cárceles. 37 Fueron apedreados, aserrados, puestos a prueba, muertos a filo de espada; anduvieron de acá para allá cubiertos de pieles de ovejas y de cabras, pobres, angustiados, maltratados; 38 de los cuales el mundo no era digno; errando por los desiertos, por los montes, por las cuevas y por las cavernas de la tierra.
They did not receive the fullness of the promise ()
39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,
39 Y todos éstos, aunque alcanzaron buen testimonio mediante la fe, no recibieron lo prometido; 40 proveyendo Dios alguna cosa mejor para nosotros, para que no fuesen ellos perfeccionados aparte de nosotros.
In the preceding chapter, the author of Hebrews gives the famous “fall of faith” where he lists saints in the Old Testament who are commended for their faith.
Look at the present without distractions
Look at the present without distractions
1 Por tanto, nosotros también, teniendo en derredor nuestro tan grande nube de testigos, despojémonos de todo peso y del pecado que nos asedia, y corramos con paciencia la carrera que tenemos por delante,
Hebrews 12:1
The reason that the author of Hebrews wrote this letter was because there was a group of jewish believers who were being tempted with abandoning the faith and returning to judaism. They were under persecution and suffering, which gave opportunity for the sin of unbelief to crawl in unnoticed. They were toying too closely with the sin that would cause them to abandon their faith.
However, in this passage, the author uses the heroes of the Old Testament to encourage them to not give up.
Two realities:
We have a race to run.
Run the race with endurance
Run the race with endurance
“The race that is set before us”
24 ¿No sabéis que los que corren en el estadio, todos a la verdad corren, pero uno solo se lleva el premio? Corred de tal manera que lo obtengáis.
1
12 No que lo haya alcanzado ya, ni que ya sea perfecto; sino que prosigo, por ver si logro asir aquello para lo cual fui también asido por Cristo Jesús. 13 Hermanos, yo mismo no pretendo haberlo ya alcanzado; pero una cosa hago: olvidando ciertamente lo que queda atrás, y extendiéndome a lo que está delante, 14 prosigo a la meta, al premio del supremo llamamiento de Dios en Cristo Jesús.
Philippians
Your duty did not end when you accepted Christ, but begin. Your goal in life as a Christian is to be conformed to His image. This is the race you should run.
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
Sin distracts us from our race.
Weight and sin
Our job is to cast aside what distracts us from our purpose in Christ and live out our faith with endurance.
Our job is to cast aside what distracts us from our purpose in Christ and live out our faith with endurance.
Look to the future with anticipation
Look to the future with anticipation
Joy set before hi
2 puestos los ojos en Jesús, el autor y consumador de la fe, el cual por el gozo puesto delante de él sufrió la cruz, menospreciando el oprobio, y se sentó a la diestra del trono de Dios.
How do we run the race? By fixing our eyes on Jesus.
Why? For the joy that is set before us.
Jesus is our model in our race
Jesus is our model in our race
Jesus endured suffering and shame ()
Suffering ()
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
5 Haya, pues, en vosotros este sentir que hubo también en Cristo Jesús,6 el cual, siendo en forma de Dios, no estimó el ser igual a Dios como cosa a que aferrarse,7 sino que se despojó a sí mismo, tomando forma de siervo, hecho semejante a los hombres;8 y estando en la condición de hombre, se humilló a sí mismo, haciéndose obediente hasta la muerte, y muerte de cruz.
Shame
Jesus anticipated a future joy and glory ()
Joy
9 Por lo cual Dios también le exaltó hasta lo sumo, y le dio un nombre que es sobre todo nombre,10 para que en el nombre de Jesús se doble toda rodilla de los que están en los cielos, y en la tierra, y debajo de la tierra;11 y toda lengua confiese que Jesucristo es el Señor, para gloria de Dios Padre.
Glory
We have a future glory that awaits us as well. Our race is not in this world, but in the coming new heavens and new earth.
4 Cuando Cristo, vuestra vida, se manifieste, entonces vosotros también seréis manifestados con él en gloria.
2 Amados, ahora somos hijos de Dios, y aún no se ha manifestado lo que hemos de ser; pero sabemos que cuando él se manifieste, seremos semejantes a él, porque le veremos tal como él es.
28 Y ahora, hijitos, permaneced en él, para que cuando se manifieste, tengamos confianza, para que en su venida no nos alejemos de él avergonzados.
18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.