The Rich Harvest of Discipline

Run To Jesus!

6.26.22 [Hebrews 12:1-13] River of Life (3rd Sunday after Pentecost)

Their work is most closely associated with models, movie stars, and athletes—but personal trainers don’t just work out with those whose livelihood is based on their physical fitness and ability. In the US, 750,000 people work as personal trainers. Each needs around 15-20 clients. If it’s half that, that means 7.5 million people see a personal trainer. It’s been a $13 billion a year industry for the past five years. Why are so many willing to shell out big bucks to have someone tell them to do something they already know they should be doing?

People hire personal trainers because they recognize that they need someone with expertise & energy to hold them accountable. To push them beyond where they would normally stop. They‘re looking for someone who is an excellent instructor and motivator. Someone who believes in their capacity and their potential.

Why? Because when you have someone who believes in you, someone who is holding you accountable, someone pushing you, someone encouraging you every step of the way, you do more. You often accomplish something far greater than you ever imagined.

Even if you never had a personal trainer, you know this is true. Maybe you played on a ball team. There was that coach, that teammate, or maybe your own parent who urged you on. Perhaps their tactics weren’t always so pleasant. But because of their presence and prodding you pressed on and did things you wouldn’t have otherwise. The same thing happens in the classroom & the workplace, too. But the illustration we have in Hebrews 12 is a race. (Heb. 12:1) Run…the race God marked out for you. Run even when there are obstacles. Run because you have greater strength than you know. Run because the finish line is far better than you could ever dream.

Of course, the obstacles catch our eyes first. That’s human nature. 1) Running this race is hard. It demands more than we can give. 2) There’ll be times when we wonder if we have lost our minds. Or God has.

Running this race is (Heb. 12:7) hard. These verses don’t sugar coat it. That's for our good. We are called to (Heb. 12:1) run with perseverance. With (Heb. 12:7) endurance. This race will be (Heb. 12:11) unpleasant at times. We are warned that at times we will (Heb. 12:3) grow weary. (Heb. 12:12) Our arms will become feeble and our knees weak.

It would be wonderful if the Christian life were compared to a walk in the park, but it would’t be honest. It couldn’t be from God. (Jn. 14:6) God is truth. (1 Jn. 1:5) In him there is no darkness at all. (Pr. 30:5) Every word of God proves true. This Word from God is no different, even if it’s unpalatable and unpleasant. This race is demanding because we’re weak. And we’re not God.

Our weaknesses are addressed first. We are told to (Heb. 12:1) throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles us. We understand how sin entangles us, don’t we? We even speak in these terms. We (1 Tim. 6:9) fall into temptation. We (Rom. 3:23) fall short of the glory of God. Falling during a race is nasty. Painful. Embarrassing.

But like falling during a race, you don’t realize you’re falling until it’s too late. And it’s the little things that throw your mechanics out of whack and set you up to take a big tumble. Especially when you’re weary & worn down. Running this race while making accommodations to sin is as silly as running with your shoes laces tied to one another.

When we feed our own particular pet sins—like anger or jealousy, greed or gluttony, cursing or dishonesty, idleness, impatience, or an overly critical spirit—we try to tell ourselves that they are not such a big deal. We know they aren’t good. But we convince ourselves we’ve got them under control. We look to our past or other people who are in worse shape as proof that we’re doing just fine. But look at what happens when you get tired, frustrated, or stressed out. Your pet sin plants itself.

Having sin under control is no more possible than domesticating a hungry (1 Pt. 5:8) lion. (Gen. 4:7) Sin crouching at your door is as dangerous as a diamondback curled up on your welcome mat. When we say our pet sins are no big deal (1 Jn. 1:8) we are only fooling ourselves.

But that is not the only obstacle. We are also told to (Heb. 12:1) throw off everything that hinders us in addition to the sin that so easily entangles. What does God mean by this? God is warning us that there are things that are not sin that make our race more difficult than it has to be. What are these things? It’s often our fervent desire for good things.

Sometimes we just want to be comfortable. We want attention or just to be accepted. Perhaps it’s a passion for productivity or some degree of success or accomplishment. Maybe we just want to take a break or enjoy ourselves for a little while. None of these are sinful.

But a desire for comfort or to take a break can convince us to stop running this race, right? Sometimes, pursuing a particular kind of success or chasing some accomplishment leads us off course. It could be that some hobby or some relationship is hindering you (1 Cor. 15:58) from giving yourself fully to the work of the Lord. Many good things hinder us from running the race that God has (Heb. 12:1) marked out for us.

We struggle to run our race because we are weak. We battle a sinful nature. We struggle to recognize and then rid ourselves of good things that hinder us from doing God’s things for us. But this race is also hard because we are not God. We don’t know his whole will. We don’t understand all his ways. We struggle to see his discipline as his love.

To our way of thinking, discipline is reactive. You discipline someone because they have done something wrong. But that’s not how God works. Divine discipline is spiritual training. God only trains those he loves as his own children. If you’re a parent, you get this. You’re out to eat and a kid is having a meltdown. If it’s someone else’s kid, you might feel bad or get mad. But you don’t feel compelled to do something. Because it’s not your kid. If it were, you would step in because you have a special relationship and responsibility for developing that little one.

God, our heavenly Father, has a special relationship and responsibility to train and develop you. His training isn’t always pleasant or desirable. There are moments when we may even think God’s being unreasonable.

If you’ve ever felt that way, think back to your youth. Did you ever feel that way about your earthly parents? Of course! And maybe there were a few times they were being unreasonable. But that was because they were imperfect parents. Your heavenly Father is powerful, wise, and loving. All the time. Everything difficult he allows is important, purposeful, and necessary for (Heb. 12:1) the race he has marked out for you.

Why should you trust that the race God has marked out for you is good for you? Look at the race God marked out for himself. It was for your good.

Jesus ran a race that was quite similar to ours. He faced temptation, but never fell on his face. He never grew weary of doing the righteous thing for the right reason. He lived in a culture that fabricated all kinds of pious looking hindrances. Jesus threw off cultural norms, social sensibilities, and lived as a humble servant—even when powerful people accused him of being a glutton and a drunkard and a friend of sinners. Jesus ran a race that demanded his everything—even his very life. Jesus’ race passed through Caiaphas’ courtroom and Pilate’s palace. The race God marked out for himself included being marked as the worst of criminals, made an object of scorn and ridicule. Crucified shamefully and buried hastily in a borrowed tomb.

Jesus’ training was unimaginably painful. The perfect Son of God was forsaken, treated as illegitimate, so that we might live! Jesus ran his race with perseverance so that we might (Heb 12:10) share in his holiness and enjoy eternal rest with him in his kingdom. Jesus rejoiced in running for you!

God’s training is always purposeful, never because he’s been provoked or is peeved or just plain petty. All of your sins have already been paid for by his beloved Son. By grace, through faith you have been made his own (Heb. 12:8) true son or daughter. He is your perfect personal spiritual trainer. Even when you experience temporal consequences for your sinful choices, God is not trying to get his pound of flesh. He is training you to see sin as spiritual poison. This is why he warns that (Rom. 6:23) the wages of sin is death. This is why he encourages you to run to Jesus, (Heb. 12:2) the pioneer and perfecter of your faith. Jesus is not only our Savior; the founder and fulfillment of all God’s promises is waiting for us at the finish line. He is overjoyed to see you run the race he has marked out for you.

He does not want to see you (Heb 12:3) grow weary, become discouraged, or (Heb 12:3) lose heart. So he has furnished you with his powerful and encouraging Word, this fellowship of believers, and a (Heb 12:1) great cloud of witnesses who have struggled as you & I do.

During trials and hard times, remember that God is training you as he trained them. Like Abraham, God puts your faith to the test, so that you might see how faithful he is. Like Gideon, your courage must be challenged. Like Job, your character is developed most as everything around you—and in you— falls apart. Humility, patience & contentment aren’t accomplishments, but gifts God works in those who’ve struggled against the sins of pride, greed, and worry. We must be stretched to learn self-control. We must go through many storms to know true peace; face many dark days to have real joy.

This same God leads you as you run the race he (Heb 12:1) marked out for you with perseverance. Your race will not be exactly the same as everyone else’s. But your race has the same finish line, where the founder and finisher of your faith joyfully waits for you. When your knees become weak, (2 Cor. 12:10) he furnishes you with his strength. When your arms feel feeble, he assures you that (Is. 46:4) he is holding you in his arms. (Ps. 28:7) The Lord is your strength and your shield, so run dear child of God. You are not running (1 Cor. 9:26) aimlessly. Run with purpose. Run with confidence. (Heb 12:1) Run with perseverance. Run the race marked out for you with this promise of God in mind. (James 1:12) Blessed is the one who perseveres…because…that one will receive the crown of life. Run to Jesus! Amen.