Running The Race Of Faith

I invite you to turn with me this morning to Hebrews. We'll read together Hebrews 11 and then considering Hebrews 12, 1 through 3. Hebrews 11, that chapter which contains, as we call them, the Old Testament heroes of faith. Hebrews 11, beginning at verse 1. Hear now the Word of God. Now, faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith, we understand that the universe was formed at God's command so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. By faith, Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith, he was commended as a righteous man when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith, he still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith, Enoch was taken from this life so that he did not experience death. He could not be found because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. by faith noah when warned about things not yet seen in holy fear built an ark to save his family by his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith by faith abraham when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance obeyed and went even though he did not know where he was going by faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise, for he was looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God. By faith, Abraham, even though he was past age and Sarah herself was barren, was unable to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. By faith, Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons and worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff. By faith, Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones. By faith, Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born because they saw he was no ordinary child and they were not afraid of the king's edict. By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter, He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger. He persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. By faith, the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. But when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell after the people had marched around them for seven days. By faith, the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised, who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword, whose weakness was turned to strength, and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned. They were sawed in two. They were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. In the words of our text, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 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. 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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. May God bless the reading of his word, his consideration, our consideration of it. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, an activity that I have grown to really enjoy and look forward to as our children have participated in it is a cross-country race. Whether it's a local event with Calvin Christian School and just a couple of other teams or whether it's the state finals in Fresno, there is a unique spirit involved in a cross-country race. Indeed, the parents and the spectators cheer for their own children. cheer for their school, but also to a degree, at least we have found this to be true of ourselves, they cheer for all the runners. And as I have heard from some of the children from our school who run, even the racers encourage one another. Those from different schools, different teams, encourage one another as they're running side by side throughout that race. Personally, I am amazed at the consistent pace and the overall speed of the first place finisher as well I am proud of the one who comes in last place because that one never gave up. They all run with courage and determination giving it their all in order to finish the race. I remember at a state meet, I'm not sure at Fresno if it was this past fall or a year before, some here might remember it too, but with one of the girls' races that took place on that Saturday, there was a commotion about 200 to 300 yards from the finish line. And as I began to see, there was a young lady in the race who apparently had given more than she had. And by this time, just a short distance from the finish line, she was staggering. It looked like she was delirious. She'd take a step forward, maybe sideways, and then stepped back and then to the side again. She looked really out of it. There was a course official walking by her side, and of course the rules of the race mean that he couldn't help her, he couldn't hold her up, he couldn't touch her. But he, along with every other spectator that she passed in those last couple of hundred yards, encouraged her and cheered her on. And she never quit. And finally, she crossed the finish line. The writer of Hebrews talks about a race. Not a short sprint. Not one that takes just a burst of energy and then it's over, but a marathon. A long, long distance marathon that lasts a lifetime from the time that one enters that narrow gate as we talked about last week. And all believers are participants running the race of faith. Faith in Jesus Christ, who is that narrow, that only gate into the Kingdom of God. Faith in Jesus Christ, trusting and believing in Him, being fully convinced, fully certain, without a doubt, about Him and His saving work. Living by faith in Him alone, which is that narrow road alone that leads to the finish line of eternal glory, which has been secured by Jesus Christ. And this race of faith, beloved, is not about who is the fastest. Boys and girls, those of you who were at VBS and saw the skit this past week, Rocky Rabbit thought it was about who was the fastest, didn't he? He thought it was about getting to the finish line, however you need to take to get there, just get there. It doesn't matter how. It's about being the fastest and the first. This race is not about who is the fastest. It's not about who finishes first or that only one gets the prize. It's about how to run. It's about finishing, period. And we don't know. Not any one of us knows what is marked out for us. We don't know what that life path looks like that God has planned until it happens. We don't know whether it will be smooth or rough, whether there will be mountains or valleys, whether we will experience curves or canyons, whether it will be clear or foggy or stormy or filled with sunshine. Maybe some of us have experienced all of these different conditions in the path of life so far. We don't know. Yet we do know that whatever conditions we might face, in all conditions, God's Word teaches us how we are to run. How believers are to run that race of faith. Running, first of all, encouraged by the church. Verse 1 begins, therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. It's good for us to remember the context here. The writer of Hebrews is addressing new Christians, those who are still quite young in their faith, most likely those who were Jewish converts. Yet, they were on the verge of backsliding, going backward in their walk. Because of persecution and the hardship that they were facing, because of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, they were flirting with falling back into Judaism, falling back into the Old Testament customs and practices like circumcision, which they were told was absolutely necessary in order to be saved. Throughout this epistle, the writer has been trying to encourage these Christians in the faith, encouraging them to stay true to Jesus Christ because He is superior to all else. Because He is the one final sacrifice for sin. Because He is the only one in whom there is salvation. And boys and girls, as you were reminded this past week, He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father. No one gets to heaven except through Jesus Christ. And these young Christians were being guaranteed that Jesus Christ, by grace through faith, would bring them victory. And it's in this context, this context of hardship and persecution and suffering, that they are now being encouraged to consider the great cloud of witnesses that had just been placed before them in chapter 11. The heroes of faith, as we call them. The church. The Old Testament church. Believers throughout history. A beautiful chapter. A survey of redemptive history, we might say. A commentary on the faith of Abel and Enoch and Noah and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses and David and all the others. But of course, we know that all of those listed, and so many are listed, that's not the entirety of the church, is it? Even the church of the Old Testament. They are a part of the whole. They represent all of the saints from the beginning of time and for us until now of those who have lived and died in faith in Jesus Christ. And you see, beloved, it's a massive group. The word for cloud is talking about a thick, dark mass of clouds. Even though the Bible says many are called but few are chosen, when you put those few all together, it's much more than the 144,000 that Jehovah's Witnesses say are saved. It's a mass. It's many. It's uncountable. When you put them together, all you can see are witnesses for Christ. Reminds me of the summer of 1995. Our family was living in the Chicago area for the summer, and we went to downtown Chicago to watch the fireworks, the 4th of July fireworks, along with around 750,000 to a million other people. That's what we were told, and I believe it. Because as we were walking back to our car about a mile, mile and a half walk, all you could see were heads and shoulders. The cars could not move. It was an ocean of people. That's the church of Jesus Christ. His church will be full. Now we know there are two kinds of witnesses, aren't there? There are those on the one hand who see, who watch, who observe something happen, like spectators lining the cross-country route or those who are sitting in the bleachers or in an auditorium for a volleyball or basketball game or a musical production. Those who watch, those who observe. And the other kind are those who witness of something or about something, who testify about something, such as in a court of law. And that's what we ought to think of here. This cloud of Old Testament saints that are listed were not, as it were, sitting in an arena watching and witnessing the Hebrew Christians' race of faith. They're not watching ours either. Instead, God recorded the history of these well-known believers and their stories by which they witness, they testify, they give evidence to, they encourage the Hebrew Christians and us of their lives of faith and of God's faithfulness. They are examples of faith. They are examples of a victorious life of faith by God's grace. Their lives, their works, their sufferings, their deaths of which we are reminded some gruesome. Isaiah, it is said, was sawed into. But all these things testified to their own faith. testified that living a life of faith in Jesus Christ, being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, that living a life of faith in Jesus Christ is possible. They are witnesses to God's faithfulness in their lives, even and especially when the path ahead looked dangerous or unknown or did not make sense or would cost them their lives. Still, they trusted. They obeyed God. And the Hebrew Christians in the midst of uncertainty and strife and hardship were not to give up, they weren't to quit, they weren't to slow down, but they were to be encouraged and inspired by God's faithfulness demonstrated through the members of the church throughout the ages. It's no secret that we too face challenges, don't we? We face the hardships and the temptations of life in our Christian walk that make us weary at times and very uncertain. We face financial hardship or loneliness. We suffer the pain of fractured relationships or the worry of an erring child. We are called upon to deal with the difficulty of sickness or the hurt of loss. And at times like that, it seems like God does not care. But He calls us to look to His Word and to be encouraged by what He has done. What He has recorded for us. And what He has done for His people throughout the ages, even in the worst of circumstances. And especially what He has done preserving the line, leading to Jesus Christ, our only hope, through these heroes listed. We are to be inspired and encouraged by those who have gone before. Also inspired by our own believing loved ones and friends who have gone to be with the Lord. Who have, by the grace of God, left their testimony of faith behind. Their faith in life and in death and what God has done for them. Running the race of faith, encouraged by the church, encouraged by one another. We are to be encouraging each other as we run side by side in that race. Secondly, running the race of faith equipped for endurance. Verse 1 continues, 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. Running with perseverance. Not giving up. Not slowing down. Equipped for endurance on the set course. The race marked out. The race set before us, which is known by God. He planned it. All of our days are set. He knows every single detail of your life path and mine. Nothing, no detail is a surprise to Him. And we are to be equipped by Him to face the surprises, to face the unknown, without excess baggage. Once again, we consider the analogy of running a race. The runner has to get rid of the excess weight in order to run better, to run more effectively or more efficiently. It might be a few extra pounds, get rid of that body weight, or put on some lighter clothing or a better pair of shoes. Also, eliminate whatever would slow one down, like the warm-ups. The warm-ups are just for that. They're for warming up. You don't wear them for the race. The robes that the early Christians wore, take them off before that athletic competition. Otherwise, they're going to get wrapped up, tangled around one's legs. When it comes to the race of faith, the writer says, throw off everything that hinders, holds back, slows down, weighs down. And that's not referring necessarily to sin or things that are sinful in themselves. But those things that might take our minds and our eyes and our hearts off of Jesus Christ and the Christian life set before us. Those things that might hinder us from making progress in our walk or growing in our relationship with the Lord. For example, becoming consumed with busyness. all kinds of activities surround us. We have no time to think. Or hobbies, or position, or prestige. Anything that becomes the goal or the focus of our lives. Anything that we begin to live for or that drives us. Anything that would cause us to compromise our Christian faith or would strip us from involvement in kingdom work. Anything that would steal worship time from us. Anything that would cause us to fail to set a godly example for our children. Throw off everything that hinders. And the sin that so easily entangles. That sin that we still struggle with. That sin that might control tightly, entangle, take captive, easily distract, causes us to disobey or fall. Maybe a besetting sin that you or I might have. a sin that we secretly enjoy, maybe publicly enjoy. And we know it's wrong, but we have a hard time giving it up. Examples might be pornography, lust, gambling, excessive liberty with alcohol, selfishness, gossip, being two-faced, or laziness. All kinds of things. Reverend Kukin, during the family ties from 2 Timothy 3, reminded us of narcissism, the love of self. Materialism, the love of money. Hedonism, the love of pleasure. And all of that love, more than love for or even in the place of God. And as I think about that sin that easily entangles, I'm reminded as well of the illustration that Reverend Kukin gave. I think he read it from that Dobson book about the movie industry and Hollywood's code of ethics back in the 1930s. They had a code of ethics, you recall. that nothing was to be included in movies that would attack the morality of those who watch the movies. No sex. No violence. Drugs. Cursing. None of that. It seems clear that the code has long been thrown away that even what seems to be the best and the cleanest of movies uses some of these things at least a little bit and some a whole lot more. And that's where I think about the sin that easily entangles. We are fascinated by the drama, by the action. We like to see these things. And in the meantime, we become desensitized to what used to be considered outlawed in the movie industry. Throw off everything that hinders the sin that so easily entangles. Jesus says in Luke 21, verse 34, Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. Or Paul in Colossians 3, verse 8, But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these, anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Rid yourselves of these things. Worry, anxiety, So much there is that can cause us to become spiritually weighed down and lethargic and sluggish in that race of faith that can endanger us and cause carelessness on that narrow road. Beloved believers, travel that road. Believers run that race of faith either with the excess baggage or without. But the Word of God says throw it off. Throw off the weight. Throw off the sin. Radically deal with it. Throw it away. How? recognizing and confessing these things, trusting in the forgiving grace of God for Jesus' sake, consciously striving in the strength of the Holy Spirit to live without these things and instead replacing them with godly character, godly habits, godly friends that would encourage us in our walk with the Lord and things that are pleasing to God. But most of all, in that which makes points one and two possible, running the race of faith encouraged by the church, running the race of faith, equipped for endurance, what makes that possible is in the third place, being engaged with the object of faith. That's where it begins. Verse 2 says, 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. We are called to focus, to fix our eyes on the greatest witness. We do receive encouragement from that cloud of witnesses, but we are to fix our eyes on the greatest witness, the One that they fixed their eyes on without knowing who He was. The One who has come for them in the Old Testament and us. The One on whom our faith is founded. He is the author and the perfecter of our faith. Our faith depends on Him from start to finish. He gives us the gift of faith by the power of the Spirit. And He is the one who will make it sight. He has secured the goal of our faith. The inheritance. The eternal life. The things hoped for. The things not seen. And beloved, we know that it's all true because He is the one in whom we see the ultimate endurance. He endured the cross, scorning its shame. Dear people of God, when you are tempted to think that God can't help you with the difficulties of life, or that He won't forgive your sin because your sin is too great, you think, look to the cross of Jesus and see, see clearly that there is nothing that God cannot do or will not do for those who trust in Him. He endured the cross. Indeed, the physical suffering and pain and torment, scorning and shame. The cross was reserved for the worst of the worst, for thieves and murderers, the scum of the earth. Moses in Deuteronomy 21 says that one who was hanged on a tree was accursed of God. Jesus scorned the shame. As if He said, I'm not going to worry about that. I'm not going to worry about what man thinks. Because I have some important work to do. He is the example of ultimate suffering, which He endured not for Himself, but for us. And He endured it for us because of the joy that was set before Him. Indeed, there's joy for Him, the glory of the authority of the right hand of God, and receiving an exalted name, as Philippians 2 says. but He didn't endure the cross and scorn and shame for Himself for selfish purposes. But the joy that was set before Him includes His joy for us. That He secured that glorious life at the finish of the race. Dear people of God, His joy saw beyond the suffering and the cost to a future of redemptive blessing for you and me who believe. And His joy included that we in Him would be able to run successfully. He is the one from whom we receive strength for the race. Verse 3 says, Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. The opposition that He endured from sinful men concluded with opposition from God His Father. the worst that anyone would ever face. The writer of Hebrews, we know, has been concerned about these new Christians becoming weary and tired and discouraged. In chapter 3, verses 12 and 13, we read, See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Chapter 4, verse 1, Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. Jesus Christ is our example of endurance. He says we might, Paul says we will, suffer persecution for the sake of Christ. Yet whatever we may have to endure, whatever adverse conditions we might face during that race of faith, It is only temporary, while the joy that awaits us is for eternity. And not one bit of it, we know, can separate us from the love of God. God's people, you, me, we are called to fix our eyes on Jesus, letting nothing distract us, letting nothing cause us to look to the left or to the right. Like Peter, when he was walking on the water, when he was fixed on Jesus, he was walking on the water. But as soon as he became aware and looked around at the wind and the waves and the turmoil around him, he got scared. He began to sink. But our Lord Jesus Christ alone is proof. He is our guarantee that He will lead His believers to the end of the race. Without Jesus Christ, there is no confidence. In fact, without Him, there is no race. There's only a shortcut to the danger and the destruction and the horror of hell. We will be tempted, beloved, we will be tempted to follow the paths of sin, and at times we will face the effects of our sin, of the danger of it, like Rocky Rabbit did, boys and girls. Yet for all who trust and give their life to the Lord Jesus Christ, He has paid for all of our sins, each and every one, and therefore He promises that He will rescue, He will restore, He will never leave or forsake His people. The world says there is no Jesus. There is no Savior. So if you're believing in Him, you're wasting your time. And proof, the world says, would be the hardships and the difficulties of life. Debt, death, struggles, whatever you might face. All of that, the world says, is proof that there is no God because if there was a loving God, He wouldn't let that kind of stuff happen, they say. But we know that we deserve nothing from Him. Yet He gave His all for us. And He says, do you trust Me? Even in the midst of the difficulties and the hardships of life, even if it costs you this life, do you trust Me? Do you trust Me that My Son's joy is for you? all we have is a gift from God, especially that precious gift of faith in Jesus Christ and being sure, being certain, that we are already victorious in Him. That race of faith mapped out and set by Jesus Christ leads only to one place, and that is being raised with Him forever in the glory of heaven for all who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore, beloved, no matter the race marked out for us, no matter what may come upon us, in Christ Jesus, in Him alone, God's people, you and I, will say with Paul one day, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all. who have longed for His appearing. Amen. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, indeed, the path is long. The race is long. At times we do become weary, we become tired, we give in to temptations. Yet You have given us Your promise, Your faithful promise that You will lead us and guide us, equip us, cause us to endure until the end. We thank You for that guarantee so vivid to us through Your Son, Jesus Christ, and His cross. His resurrection, the life that He lives in the glory of heaven reigning and ruling even now. And the confidence that You have given to us, Your people, that one day He will return for us, either by way of death or on the clouds of heaven. and father we pray that you would continue to strengthen us and help us and prepare us for that day that we might look forward to it with great joy knowing that there is no greater joy than to be forever with the lord hear our prayer we ask for jesus sake and in his name we pray amen