Hebrews 12 1-2
Second Last Sunday
Hebrews 12:1-2
November 16, 2003
“The Joy of Sports”
Introduction: Our generation is a generation that loves sports; how true this is for the people of Wisconsin. It seems that everyone here, except for Pastor Blonski, is a fan of the Green Bay Packers. I believe that the Apostle Paul was a sports fan too. If the Apostle Paul were alive today, he would no doubt read the sports pages of the newspaper and follow the progress of various teams and athletes. He’d probably be a Green Bay fan. Those who are familiar with the epistles of the Apostle Paul are fully aware of his frequent use of athletic references in his writings He referred to boxing, wrestling, and in our text for today, running. Paul writes in Hebrews to a group of persecuted, beaten down, discouraged Hebrew believers and encourages them to keep moving forward in the Christian faith and life. He compares the Christian life to running a race. And it is not merely a sprint to the finish line it is more like a marathon that requires training, endurance and focus. Paul points out those faithful people that have run before them…Noah, Abraham, and Moses and the Old Testament Saints, and finally he focuses their attention on Jesus, who ran the race for the joy that was set before Him and finished the race in victory, for them. Paul wrote to the Hebrews and now us about the joy of sports understood in the light of the Christian faith.
I. The Stadium
Imagine yourself walking into a stadium filled with a hundred thousand people. You hear their cheer as it rises up and fills the stadium in a loud and deafening roar. Then you realize that the cheer is for you. It is your turn to run the race. In the chapter preceding our epistle text Paul writes about the saints that have run the race of faith. Now Paul calls these people a “great cloud of witnesses.” We are all creatures of inspiration. We need a reason for doing things and we need encouragement while we are doing them. One of the greatest inspirations and comforts can be all the believers from the past who have gone before us. No, they are not fans in the stands, watching us as we perform. They are "witnesses” to us. But in a manner of speaking they cheer us on through the examples of their lives and especially their witness of faith in the one true God and the promised Savior through the sins of all people are forgiven. The same God who was their God is our God. The God of yesterday is the God of today and tomorrow. They are not witnessing what we are doing, but rather they are witnesses to us that God can and will see us through this life and the race of faith. The Old Testament saints witness to us of the faithfulness of God who led and upheld them through all their troubles. When facing a move to a new place we remember Abraham. God was always with Him and blessed the world through him. When facing family opposition, we remember Joseph! God restored his family through forgiveness. When facing problems on the job, we remember Moses whom God guided to deliver the people of Israel. When it feels like everybody is against we remember David, the short little shepherd boy that God made into a king and through whom God sent the Savior of the world, Jesus. Indeed the stadium is filled with saints cheering you on by their example.
II. The Race
It’s your turn to run the race. You step up to the track wondering how you got into this situation. But you know how. God called you to run the race of faith. He did it through your baptism and through His word. The Holy Spirit created faith in you and gave you joy in the knowledge that your sins have been forgiven for Jesus sake. There is no other place that you would rather be. Still, we often we try to run the race of faith in peculiar ways. Normally a person running in a race prepares himself by getting in shape and practicing. Then he dresses for the race, light fitting clothes, shorts and shirt, and a pair of running shoes. Can you imagine a runner putting on a heavy winter coat, strapping on a backpack filled with rocks. Can you imagine him stepping up to the starting line with pants that are so long that his shoes step on them? It doesn’t make sense does it? Often, this is what we do though. As sinful people we are inclined to do those things that don’t make sense with regard to our faith. The apostle Paul knew this. That is why He reminded Christians that they need to be thoughtful in their Christian living. He includes himself as he writes, “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” What are those things that hinder your Christian faith and life? They are different for each one of us. What hinders may not be a bad thing in and of its self. But it still can be a hindrance. Like eating, a runner needs to eat, its good for him. But if a runner starts eating to much it won’t be long before he is too fat causing him to slow down, to wheeze while he runs under the undo burden and finally causing him to stop all together. Then there is sin. It’s like a backpack full of rocks, good for nothing. Its like pants that are to long entangling our legs causing us to trip. None of these things gives us any joy in the race. The words used here mean to lay aside anything, any obstacle any impediment that would hinder your running. Take it off! Strip down. Get rid of any sinful thought, action, habit, or relationship. Sin will trip you up and cause you to fall. We also are to remove anything in our lives that hinders our running.
III. The Joy of the Race
It is worth noting that the word amateur comes from the Latin amator and means “a lover.” The amateur athlete participates in a sport because he loves the sport, but many professional athletes feel the same way. They may receive big salaries and a lot of publicity, but it is the love of the game that helps to keep them going. Bret Favres is a great example of this. Repeatedly I have heard sports casters talk about his love for the game. He is passionate about playing, whether he wins or loses, broken thumbs and all he has joy in the sport. Winning athletes enjoy the game. They may not enjoy all the difficult preparation that goes into the game, and they surely don’t enjoy losing. But the thrill of the game is in their blood and nothing will keep them away. There is joy in the process. This is true in our own lives. Ask Carl Benter about the joy of sitting in the blind a day break watching God’s creation come to life. Ask Eric Giese about the joy of fishing even when the fish are not biting. Ask Lois Benter about the joy of sewing something new and beautiful. The thrill is in their blood and nothing will keep them away from it. Paul gave expression to this attitude when he said, “But none of these things move me [from my course]… so that I might finish my course with joy” (Acts 20:24). Jesus ran the race triumphantly “for the joy that was set before him” (Heb. 12:2). The joyful runner has already won on the inside. Running the race is part of the victory. This is true for us as Christians as well. It may not always be easy. In fact it may be very difficult, but we continue on. We find joy in our Christian faith and life, just as people find joy in sports.
IV. The Focus
As Christian our greatest joy is found when we focus on Jesus Christ. St. Paul writes, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” In running, as in most sports, where you look is extremely important. Nothing will throw you off stride or slow you down like looking at your feet or the runner coming behind you or the crowds in the stands. The Christian life is very much just like this. To find our greatest joy as we run in faith we direct our focus on Jesus. It was by looking to Jesus Christ in faith that we were first saved. Our race began with Him. Our race will be perfected in Him as we continue to look to Jesus. The Christian life commenced with a look to Jesus, and it will culminate with a look to Jesus. Fix your eyes on Jesus Christ. Focus on His cross. Remember what He did for you through the shedding of His blood and the sacrifice of His life. Remember His resurrection and victory over death and the grave. Fix your eyes on Jesus who has already run the race for you, has won the race for you. While we have so many examples of the faithful that have gone on before us Jesus is the pre-eminent example of God’s faithful people. For His faith surpasses all others; and by His faithfulness we are saved.
IV. The Finish of the Race.
Every Race has a finish. The outcome of the race has been determined. All people believing in Jesus will be given the crown of life. Paul wrote, “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. 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, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Illus. During my undergraduate days at Concordia College, Ann Arbor, my roommate Fred Simon encouraged me to go out for track. Not knowing any better I agreed. From the outset it was apparent that God had not given me a gift for running. I ran anyway, refusing to quit. Day in and day out I trained with the other runners. It was hard work but still enjoyable. The came the day of my first track meet. My event was the one mile race. I stepped up to the starting line shaking with nerves. How will I do? Will I finish? Then the race began. I ran hard. I gave it my all. I finished the race. In the end I didn’t take 1st, second, or third place, but I kept up with the other runners. At the finish line I fell down to the ground. I couldn’t breath and I couldn’t talk. My roommate came up to me and patted me on the back and then he said, “You’ll do better next time.” Better next time”, I thought to myself, still unable to speak. I didn’t think so. Though my body only showed pain and defeat, in my mind there was nothing but joy. I had given it all. There was nothing left. I had run the race the best I could and as if to win. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Run the race in such a way that you may obtain the prize.” We run the race of faith today and every day of our lives. Some times we look like winners and some times we look like losers, and all of us eventually fall down into the dust of death gasping for air. Through it all, and by faith in our dear Savior that has won the race for us, we have great joy, like a person finding joy in sports, because we have run the race and will obtain the prize of eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.