How many of you have ever run in a race? How many are in track or some other sport in school? I remember back in Junior High (the only time I had to take P.E.) we had to run all the time. It was usually just for exercise, but every once in a while we would do the “track and field” section, and we would run races and the like. Now, if you know me well at all, you know that running is not my favorite thing to do…no one is chasing me, so why run? With my lack of interest, came my lack of ability (and they probably affected each other greatly). So I wasn't exactly the fastest runner, and I remember the coach egging me on (and the rest of the slow kids in the back…) to run faster. “You can do it!” “The rest of them are doing it, so can you, come on!” So I would try a little harder…till I got far enough away from him that I couldn't hear him. But as I think back, I'm sure that he was probably right. If I had tried harder, I could have run with the wind…or had my heart explode out of my chest…either way the race would be over sooner. It's this same encouragement that we get from the author of Hebrews. He's not trying to get us to run a physical race, but to run the race of life; a holy life lived as Christ, and to run it with endurance, so that we can make a strong finish. So let's read Hebrews 12:1-2.
Hebrews 12:1-2
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, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
So because we have a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, we should run the race of life with endurance…ok, but what the heck is a “great cloud of witnesses?” I, like a lot of people, used to think this was all the people who have died and gone to heaven, looking down on me cheering me on like a NASCAR crowd cheering on Jeff Gordon. But that's not what this means. This doesn't mean people are watching us, or “witnessing” us. It means the great “testimonies” of those great men and women of faith in the Old Testament, that have left such a great example for us to follow. Where do we find such great stories of these “faith heroes?” In the chapter just before the scripture we are looking at.
Chapter eleven of Hebrews is a great conglomerate of stories of God's people and the faith they had. In chapter 11, we see the faith of Abel, who by faith offered a sacrifice that was pleasing to God. We see Noah, who by faith, built the Ark, and was saved from the flood. We also read about Abraham, who by faith, left his homeland, not knowing where he was going, but knowing he was following God. We also hear of Moses, who by faith led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. There are others mentioned, but even as the author himself says, it would be impossible to list all of the great examples of faith. We have all these great examples of faith to look too, and learn from, and because of this, we should be able to live life, through all its troubles and hard times, with endurance, because we can look to the true example of faith, Jesus.
This “faith” we speak of is “the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. (Hebrews 11:1).” What do we hope for? We hope for eternal life with Christ Jesus in heaven. And even though we cannot see Him, we know He is there because our faith assures us of it.
So in running this race, living by faith, resting on His grace and the hope that is in Jesus Christ, we should lay aside anything that hinders us. If you are in a race, for track, you would never walk up to the starting line dressed in jeans, boots, and a heavy sweater would you? Of course not! That would be crazy because all that would hinder you. You would be heavier, and you would be hot. So instead you show up in the cute little shorts with the stripes on the side and the sleeveless shirt because they are lightweight, aerodynamic, and allow for you to cool off. In the same way a runner will take off those heavy clothes that do nothing but weigh them down and make the race harder, we should also remove anything from our lives that can make it harder for us to live as Christ.
We talked a little about this last week. But what are things that can hinder our relationship with God, and our successful finish of this life? Too much TV. Bad music. Bad friends. Etc.
We know why we need to get rid of those things that hinder us, and we even know what some of those things are, but how do we get rid of them? First we must recognize that we cannot do it on our own, but it is only by God's great grace that we can do this. We must pray in humility, asking God to help us out, and then there is another thing that can help us a whole lot, that is right here in verse 2.
We should “keep our eyes on Jesus.” As we cast off those hindrances, whatever they may be, we can't just keep looking at them. If a runner takes off the heavy jeans and sweater, but still stands there looking at them…they won't get very far, and won't successfully finish the race will they? Of course not, they just look forward, to the goal line. If they keep their eyes on the goal, and run their hardest, they will successfully finish the race. Jesus said, “If any man puts his hand to the plow and then looks back, he is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” So we cannot continue in our sin (those hindrances) and we cannot just stand there and look at them, or look back at them, but we must keep our first look to Jesus, and keep our eyes on Him.
How do we know this is a way to finish the race successfully? Because the author of Hebrews shows us the ultimate example of faith: Jesus. Jesus is a greater example of faith than all those listed before. Greater than Noah, greater than Abraham, greater than, Moses, even greater than David, who was a man after God's own heart. Jesus is the greatest example of faith because He is the author and perfecter, or founder and finisher, of our faith. He is the one who gives us our faith, and He is the one who shows us grace in order that we might have faith until we die, and live with Him forever. He is the greatest example of faith because He obeyed God even to the point of dying on the cross for us. And He is the greatest example of faith because He set His eyes on the joy that was before Him, that is the promise of eternity in heaven with God the Father.
And this is the same hope we have, for eternal life in Christ Jesus, to live in heaven for eternity. This is the same joy we should keep our eyes on. We can cast off the sin and other hindrances of this world, and run the race with endurance, and set our eyes on Christ and the joy that is found in Him, because we know that there is greater reward for us in heaven than anything we could ever have in this world. The reward of heaven is greater than a garage full of BMW's, Porsches, H2's, or all the money in the world, because all those things are temporary. 1 John 2:15-17 says, “Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world…[because] the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God's will remains forever.” And Jesus warned us “Don't collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and thieves don't break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart is. (Matthew 6:19-21).”
We must cast off the worldly things that only hold us back from true joy and happiness which comes from Christ, and run the race (that is the life we life) with endurance so that we will run is successfully. And we must do this by keeping our eyes set on Jesus Christ, because He is the ultimate example of how to live, and because He is our inheritance in heaven, and being with Him for eternity is the great reward we will have…greater than all the riches of the world. So run well, and keep your eyes set on the goal of Christ.