Hebrews 12:1-2 | Running the Race of Faith

Running the Race of Faith in Hebrews 12

Beloved, it is a privilege to stand before you. If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to Hebrews 12. We'll consider verses 1 and 2. Hebrews 12, verses 1 and 2. Father, Lord, we ask once again that you be with us this time in the proclamation of your word.

Lord, speak through me to your people, I pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So our theme for this Lord's Day is running the race of faith. And as I'm looking through commentary, listening to videos, they always give the analogy of runners lining up side by side, taking off running.

And so you have these runners who are running, but they do not see the finish line. They know there's a finish line, but they cannot see the finish line. Nothing is driving them toward the finish line.

And so I started, you know, looking at other races. And I really like dog races, right? Not that I've ever, you know, witnessed one or anything like that, but I started looking at different races, and I saw dog races.

And you had these greyhounds lined up, boy, just these fierce-looking animals. And as the race starts, this mechanical rabbit pops up, and it takes off. And these dogs are, you know, like they're just eyes focused, ready to attack this mechanical rabbit, right?

And this mechanical rabbit is propelled in front of them, and they cannot catch up to it. It's going so fast, and these dogs are running the whole time. They're not looking at the crowd. They're not looking at the lines.

They're looking at the rabbit. And I found it fascinating. You know, as I'm on my YouTube, you know, it was like 11 o 'clock at night watching greyhounds running around chasing a rabbit. It was fascinating to me.

And so that's the picture I believe that's given here is that, you know, it's the running the race of faith and our timeless truth. Today we see if the Hebrew church was called to run the race of faith, then you and I are also called to run this race as well.

Of course, our text is going to bring before us the conclusion, but the urgency that we see in this letter is, in fact, that people who profess to believe in Jesus were not in the race. So we have people at this time, they profess to be followers of Jesus, but they were not in the race.

They were not running the race of faith. And so the writer is addressing this. Chapter 4 tells us that it was through their unbelief. So they were not in the race because of their unbelief. The Israelite in the wilderness did not enter the rest because of unbelief.

And under the new covenant, we are to rest. We enter that rest by believing in Jesus Christ. We enter that rest. We enter the race by believing in Jesus Christ. Now, if you look with me at our text, Hebrews 12, beginning in verse 1.

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, 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.

In our outline today, after the writer goes through chapter 11, pointing out the faith of the fathers, he speaks to them directly about their faith. So point number one, the writer reminds them about the great cloud of witnesses.

Point number two, he includes himself in this race by saying let us repent and let us run with endurance. And then point number three, he tells them how to get this endurance, and it's by looking to Jesus.

So as we transition, I want to state that there is nothing more important. I don't care what anyone says. There's nothing more important than where you will spend your eternity, where you will spend eternity.

Listen, listen, there's absolutely nothing more important than this. What we're doing here, there's nothing more important than the message of what you believe you enter in this rest and where you will spend eternity.

We're living in a world where this world is out to get our children. Parents, listen, this world is out to get our children. When I was speaking with Brad about this last week, these streets are carnivores, all right?

These streets are carnivores. They are out to get our children. They are eating them alive. Preaching and living the truth of the gospel in front of our children is the most important thing that we can do as parents.

And even then, it might not be enough. Romans 9, beginning in verse 1.

I'll read to verse 3.

It says this.

This is Paul speaking. He says, I am speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying. My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed.

This is cut off, accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kingsmen, according to the flesh. Him speaking about his Jewish brothers. Paul speaking the truth in Christ. He has great sorrow and unceasing anguish in his heart, wishing himself, imagine this, him in Christ wishing himself to be cut off, separated from Christ, if by some chance it would help his brothers.

Paul, although he was not a father, he loved his kingsmen according to the flesh as if he were their father. And what father would not give up all that he has for his child or mother, right? We love our children.

And if I'm honest, I spoke with some of the guys here this past Friday as the men got together. If I'm honest, I do not love my kingsmen this way. I say that to my shame. I don't love them the way Paul loved his.

But I do love my wife, my kids. I love you, I love your kids this way. It was a great responsibility as a pastor, as someone speaking forth the man of God, the man of God speaking forth that I have to have a love for you where I want nothing more than for, if you're not in Christ, if you're not in this race, then for you to believe that, for you to be in this race running alongside of me.

And I do have love for my brothers around here. Like I want this area and everyone that I meet to come to Christ. But the rejection that I get from them would mean nothing as the rejection that I would have from one of you, my child, my brother, those that are in this church.

It says, you know, the whole book here seems to be driving to the point of all of us entering into this race together, running this race together, and entering into glory together. The words of this Bible are not just words.

They are the beating heart of God for his people who this world is eating up because the streets are carnivores. So therefore he sent his son to live the life that we could not live, to live and to die for us.

The Great Cloud of Witnesses

So look back with me at our text. We'll look at the first part of Hebrews 12 .1, the first point the writer reminds them about the great cloud of witnesses. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, the words so great a cloud of witnesses answers the therefore, right?

So when you come to a portion of Scripture, we all know that if it says therefore, it's speaking about the context. It's dealing with the context. And our text answers the therefore by so great a cloud of witnesses.

It's pointing us back to chapter 11, the hall of faith. Again, as I'm reading commentary, like things are not clicking. Like I don't know how y 'all's brain works, but mine is a little weird. Like things were not clicking as I'm reading things and as I'm seeing things or people teaching on it.

Like it just wasn't adding up to me. I want to point out that it's not that... I want to point out that... I want to point out what they're not doing, okay? This text is not telling us that a great cloud of witnesses have nothing better to do in heaven than to gather around as if they're in an arena watching us run the race.

Listen, in heaven, there's plentiful things to do. They don't need to be watching us run our race. Like this is not what the text is teaching, but rather that the life that they lived in faith is a witness to us as well as a witness against us.

Let me hash that out. We can read in Scripture, we can read about their life of faith, so it's witness to us, but also that it's a witness against us. Remember 2 Peter 2, verse 5, tells us that Noah was a herald of righteousness.

And yet we know that the ark was only built to house eight people plus a ton of animals. So it tells us that Noah was a herald of righteousness. And yet Matthew 24, verses 37 and 38 tell us, speaking of those that were alive during the time of Noah, that they were unaware, it says that they were unaware of what was going to happen until Noah entered the ark.

But him being this herald of righteousness was in fact his obedience to God by building the ark. His faith, his obedience and faith witnessed against them. And therefore he is called a herald of righteousness.

Our text tells us by faith Abel, by faith Enoch, by faith Noah, by faith Abraham, by faith Sarah,.

By faith Isaac,. By faith Jacob,.

By faith Joseph, by faith Moses, by faith Rehab, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. The life that these people lived by faith in God is being called as a witness against them and us.

It's a witness against them and us. They lived in faith looking to the promise that they never received. And so because they were able to do that, how much more so you and I should be able to live in faith knowing that heaven has sent to us its king.

They lived in faith not knowing. They just believed that something would happen. We know that it did happen. How much more should we live in faith? Heaven has opened up. It has given us its champion, Jesus Christ.

How much more than they should we live in faith? This witness is against them that turned back. It talked about in chapter 10 that there was those that were shrinking back, going back to the temple.

They said that they believed. They said that they had faith,.

But they were not in the race. And as the other Hebrew Christians were running in the race of faith, they were going back to the temple. I would add that this witness is not only a great witness, but that it had them surrounded.

They were pinned in. We are pinned in on every side, and there is no way around it. Listen, we cannot say that there's not enough evidence.

Right?

We can't say that. Creation declares the glory of God. We know there's a God. There's no such thing as an atheist. You hear me say this all the time. There's only those that suppress the truth and righteousness.

We know there's a God. We cannot say that there's not enough evidence. As a matter of fact, they had less. We have archeology. We have so many books written about Jesus Christ. There's more evidence that Jesus Christ lived 2 ,000 years ago than there is evidence of you today.

They had less.

We have more. We cannot say, oh, if God really loves us, then God would do something about these streets eating our children. We cannot say that because He has done something. 2 ,000 years ago, He sent His Son who took on flesh, who lived the life that you and I, they cannot live, and who died and are in their place.

He has done something. Nor should we say if there's a God, He should do something now because He is. He's doing something right now. Churches gathered all around the world, ministers behind the pulpit proclaiming the power of God to save right now.

The gospel is God's power for salvation to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Right now, God is doing something. As the message is being preached, He is opening hearts to receive the message. He's doing something right now to prevent the streets from eating our children.

And faithful churches that proclaim what Jesus Christ has done. We talked about this in Sunday school. The means is the gospel. Second causes are those who proclaim it. Men proclaiming victory in Christ.

Women as they catechize their children. You, as you're living your life, whether it's on your job, whether you're retired, you're playing golf. I don't know, whatever it is that you all do when you're retired.

I'll talk about that later. Whatever it is that you do, right? In all that we do, we proclaim God. We are a witness of what He has done for us. He is doing something right now on the Lord's Day and every day that you are alive and you're able to be around people or be around your children.

He's doing something because the gospel is His power for salvation. And as we transition, this witness is not only against those that turn back. Speaking of those that are in the text, they were going back.

They claim to be in the race, but they were going back to the temple. This witness is against those right now today gathered all around the world who say they believe, who say they're in the race, but all the more living a lie.

It's not just them, it's us. Salvation is for those who know they need Jesus, right? We hear this all the time. The difference between someone that's a Christian and someone who isn't is that the Christian knows they deserve hell, but they deserve punishment.

They deserve the wrath of God. The Christian knows this. You don't have to convince the Christian that they are not good people. We know, I know, you know we're not good people. Salvation is for those that know they need Jesus.

Salvation cannot come to someone who doesn't see the need for Jesus, who doesn't see that they've broken God's law and that they need someone to pay their fine. Christians are those who know they are broken, who know the only thing that they can offer God is what Jesus Christ has done for them.

Talk about that crown earlier in Sunday school. This crown of righteousness that we get, we put it back at the foot of Jesus. The only thing I have to offer Him is what He has commissioned His Son to do in my place.

Him sending His Son to live the life I couldn't and to take upon Himself the punishment I deserve. That's what I have to offer Him.

If you're a Christian, that's it.

Laying Aside Sin and Running with Endurance

We can offer nothing else. We have nothing else. It's filthy rags. Point number two, the writer includes himself in the race. He says, let us repent and run with endurance. So we'll read all of verse one this time for context.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight in sin, which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

Now, by my count, this makes seven let us statements in the book of Hebrews. The first one is Hebrews 4, verse one. Verse one says, Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us fear, least any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.

The next one is chapter four, verse 11. Let us strive, therefore. Let us therefore, excuse me, let us therefore strive to enter that rest so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. The disobedience here is unbelief.

The next portion is chapter 10. We see three of the let us statements in chapter 10. Chapter 10, verse 22. Let us draw near with a heart full of assurance of faith. Verse 23. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering.

And verse 24. Let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works. And then we have the verse that we're looking at today. Let us also lay aside every weight in sin, which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

What I believe the writer is getting at is that the Christian walk is one that fights for the souls of one another. We're here today, we're gathered today. I know I can say this as a pastor, but I believe that you could say this as a member, right?

That you don't want to see anyone here not in the race. I mean, we want to see the whole community in the race, but how much more so the people in here, our children, run in the race of faith with us.

Let us strive, he says. Let us fear lest there be anyone in here not in this race. The Christian walk is one that fights for the souls of one another. One that encourages other believers. Let me say that again.

One who encourages one another to be believers, to believe, to trust. The writer of this letter is speaking corporately, not individually. This isn't me and Jesus got our own thing going. Me with the Bible and Jesus got it all figured out.

The one thing that this writer isn't is self-centered. He isn't focused on himself. He has a deep affectionate love for his brethren. We've seen that. Again, I believe that this is Paul. You can differ, that's fine.

When we see it in the book of Hebrews, he wished himself to be cut off for the sake of his brothers. His kingsmen according to the flesh. He isn't pointing to them as being sinners. He's not what you would call condescending.

He's not coming down off of his high position, lowering himself to hang out amongst the peasants. He's not doing that. He isn't pointing to them as being sinners. He is pointing to himself along with them as being sinners.

He says, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely. The writer is saying, look, guys, whatever it is, whatever it is, it doesn't matter. Whatever it is that's keeping us from being at our full potential in Jesus Christ, let us put those things away.

Let us put those things away. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. Whatever it is that's keeping us from reaching our full potential, from running as fast and direct as we can in this race,.

Let's stop it.

Let's put it down. Let us turn from sin. Now, I know as I make this statement, you'll agree. Sin is the thing that we keep so closely to us. If you look back at our text, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely to us.

Those own personal sins that we have that we don't want no one else to know. That's the stuff that we stuff. You wear a big jacket and no one can see you. You're stuffing the stuff inside. You don't want no one to know.

He says, let us get rid of it. Let us put those things away. The things that we cling to so closely. He is urging the Christian to confess and to forsake. Why? So we can be in this race. He calls them weights.

Imagine running a race with weights on you. There's people when they train for a race. I can remember before kids, I would run at least three miles a day, but I'd try to do five miles a day, and sometimes I would put on like a weighted jacket.

Let me tell you something. I couldn't really run that fast in a 50-pound jacket, right? But after running for a little while with a 50-pound jacket on and taking it off, man, I could fly. He's just giving us the imagery of this sin that besieges us, that we're holding on to so closely that it's weights.

It's keeping you from running your full potential in Christ. And not only that, but let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Just like you, speaking of the Hebrews to which this letter was written to, have a race to run.

They had their race to run. You have your race to run. And although the course might not look the same, we are running the same race, and that is the race of faith. Hebrews 11 .6 tells us, we've walked through this, that without faith it is impossible to please God.

It's impossible to please God without faith. So this race that we're running is the race of faith. The race of faith. And as we transition, our next point tells us how to run the race of faith. Point number three, he tells them how to get this endurance.

So how to run the race of faith is going to be the application of how you get this endurance. And the answer is by looking. It's by looking to Jesus. So it's verse 2 of chapter 12, but let's read verse 1 also, just to get the clear context.

The first thing to notice is that Jesus is the founder and the perfecter of our faith, right? We've walked through this before, and we'll touch back on it in just a second, but the question is how are you and I to run this race?

And the answer is by looking to Jesus. So back to this analogy, we saw that in order for these runners to run this race, they're lined up, and they take off and they run. As I'm looking at this, I'm thinking that's not the Christian race, but it's the greyhounds, right?

That's the Christian race.

It's the greyhound. You have this dog race, and then you have this electrical control propelled mechanical rabbit just pops up, and then all of a sudden it takes off, and these greyhounds take off running after the rabbit.

That's the Christian race.

You have these dogs that are just chasing this mechanical rabbit. They're looking to this rabbit the whole time that they're running, and as you and I are running this race of faith, this race of righteousness, we're called to look to Christ.

We're not called to look to this grey cloud of witnesses. We're not called to look to anyone around us. We're called to look to Christ. Again, it refers to Jesus as the founder and the perfecter of our faith.

And when it says this, what it's doing is it's reiterating a statement that's made in chapter 2, verse 10. So in chapter 2, verse 10, it says this,. For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

And I know you remember the Greek word here for perfect is teleo, and it means to make perfect, to complete, to carry through, completion, to accomplish, to finish, to bring to an end. I want to read that again, but I want to read it to verse 15 to get the full picture of what it's talking about.

So chapter 2, verse 10, I'm going to read through verse 15. For it was fitting that He, speaking of God the Father, the nearest and to seated is God, in verse 9, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

For He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why He is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, I will tell of your name to my brothers in the midst of the congregation.

I will sing your praise. And again, I will put my trust in Him. And again, behold, I and the children that God has given me, since therefore the children share in flesh and blood. He, Jesus, Him, He Himself, likewise, it's talking about the hypostatic union, partook in the same things that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death.

That is the devil. He destroys the devil through his death. Verse 15, and delivered all those who through fear of death were subjected to lifelong slavery. He makes perfect the way of salvation, and He also binds the devil, so He, the devil, can no longer deceive the nations.

The gospel can go forth because of what He has done. And in chapter 12, verse 2, the Greek word for perfect is teleouts. Teleouts, it means finisher. Listen to this. A perfecter who has in his own person raised faith to its perfection, and so to set before us the highest example of faith.

What Christ has done is the highest example of faith. And now with that in mind, look back at our text, verse 2 of chapter 12,.

Looking to Jesus,.

The founder and the 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. The race that He ran in faith, His course was Him living the life that we could not live and dying the death that we deserve.

That was His course. That was the track He was running. His finish line was Him sitting at the right hand of the throne of God in heaven, resurrecting, ascending, and seated at the right hand of the throne of God in heaven.

He has finished His race. By doing so, He has raised faith.

How did I say it?

In His own person, He has raised faith to its perfection. So you have on one hand, again, how the author always does this, right? He contrasts Moses with Jesus, and then He brings out this great hall of faith of men and women who live righteous lives.

Now He's comparing their life to Jesus. Yeah, they live their life in faith, but Jesus has raised perfection by what He has done. And they, the ones that live this righteous life, they're to look to Him as well.

We are to run this race. We are not to look to Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, or the rest of the followers of the faith. We are to look to Christ alone, just like those dogs looking at that rabbit. That's what we are to do.

We are to be like those greyhounds running that race, looking at the rabbit. They're not even looking at one another. They're not looking at the crowd. They're looking at the rabbit. Ladies and gentlemen, that's what we're called to do, to look to Jesus Christ as we're running our race.

We want everyone else to be in the race with us, but we are to be looking at Christ alone. The righteous who lived in faith are our witness against us, but the righteousness of Christ in His faith covers us.

So this great cloud of witness, witness against us, but the one who raised perfection, His righteousness covers us, and it will cover you when you receive His righteousness by looking to Him in faith.

Now, I know some of y 'all might be joyful because I'm about to end this sermon, and we're not even at 40 minutes yet. I know. I'm working on whittling it down to 45 minutes, but it's tough. There's so much to say, right?

I want to speak one more time to the parents. I believe our only offense, listen, our only offense for the streets is for us to show our children how much we love and care for them, and at the same time, for them to know that God is first in our life.

We're to show them how much we love them and how much we care for them, and all the while, they need to know that God is first. I believe that's our only offense. Our children need to see our faith, even if it means that our faith is a witness against them.

As horrible as that sounds, they need to see our faith, even if it means that our faith is a witness against them. That's what they need. They need to see it lived out. They need to see Mommy and Daddy repenting.

Mine need to see it more. And if you're here today and you're not a Christian, I plead that you will turn from your sins and you will look to Jesus Christ by faith, that you will join us on this track as we line up as a bunch of greyhounds chasing a rabbit, but instead, we're lined up under the authority of God looking to Jesus Christ, the founder and the perfecter of our faith.

If anyone wants to talk, I'd love nothing more than to talk with you. I'm available, Pastor Cal, our deacon Josh as well. After the service, please come talk to me.

Let's pray.

Father, Lord, we love you and we thank you for your word. And Lord, we ask that your hand be upon every one of us. Lord, we do pray that you will draw every one of us to be on the same race looking to Jesus Christ who is the author and the perfecter of our faith.

He has raised the bar, Lord. No, we cannot reach it, but we can be covered in the righteousness of Christ by looking to Him in faith. There is no one winner here. We all receive the crown. And oh, what a great day it will be to offer to you the one and only true God, the only thing that we can offer, and that is what Christ has done for us.

Lord, be with us as we prepare ourselves to partake in the supper. Lord, I pray that you use this along with everything else we've done today to grow us in holiness. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.