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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.
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