Sermon Tone Analysis

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.