There are times in life when I find myself saying, “Others have done it before me.” Whether it was tackling a four test, three paper week in college or working through preaching the entire book of Acts, I am often reminding myself that I am not the first to walk this road. In fact, I remind myself that there are many who lived through things much worse than myself. And for some reason, this gives me the determination to press on.
I guess I may have learned this from my mom. She grew up on a farm where she had to milk cows (among several other chores) before she would go to school each morning. So when she would tell me to make my bed and clean my room before school and I would inevitably complain, she would remind me that she did far more in her life than I was being asked to do. And, knowing it was true, I soon ran out of excuses not to clean my room.
There is something quite similar to this in the book of Hebrews. The author of the book is encouraging individuals to press on in the faith as they are being tempted to revert back to Judaism, which had found its fulfillment in Christ. Therefore, the author argues for the superiority of Christ to other priests and the new covenant to the old to show that if they go back, they are going back to something that has no saving power and, consequently, leaving their only hope for salvation. And within this he encourages them at the end of chapter 10 writing, “But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul” (10:39).
With this, then, he launches into chapter 11 where he gives a picture from the saints of old as to what “pressing on” in the faith looks like. And it is quite an encouraging example. He mentions Noah building the ark, Abraham leaving without knowing where he was going, Moses leaving the palace, and so on. But the most impressive thing about the list is not so much that they did these things, but that they did them based on their faith in the coming redemption of Christ. That is to say, they acted as if the thing that had not yet happened was a sure thing (i.e. “the assurance of things hoped for” – 11:1, coming of Christ to redeem his people). Yet he ends the chapter noting that these people – who endured mockings, scourgings, and imprisonment, were stoned, were sawn in to, and refused their release in order that they might obtain a better resurrection (11:32-38) – all died without receiving “what was promised” (11:39). They lived their lives by faith in a coming redemption that they never got to see with their own eyes (though they obviously tasted of redemption, for they were saved/redeemed – they didn’t get to see Christ’s work on the cross).
This is the impact that the “Therefore” carries in 12:1. He is saying, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us [who persevered when they only knew a pre-Incarnation faith, how much more should we] also … ” In other words, because we live in the days after the Messiah has come and accomplished redemption for his people (i.e. a more privileged position than any of those mentioned in Hebrews 11 as it relates to redemptive history) we should be able to look to their examples and press on with even greater confidence.
The reason we are given this motivation (like the Hebrew readers) is because we all are called to live the Christian life set before us. It may not involve building an ark, leaving the riches of a palace, or going when God has not told us our destination, but it will involve a life full of obedience when obedience is often difficult.
Therefore, the author of Hebrews has no problem linking us with these saints of old as he writes, “Let us [also] run … the race that is set before us” (12:1). We are all called to live a life that says, “yes” to God at his every command, strives for purity in every area of our lives, and confess Christ and his uniqueness in a world that is not fond of that truth.
But not only do we have a similar path to run in the sense of obeying and following Christ, there are some similar things that we need to do to run the race (no matter what it may require of us specifically) successfully. And these things I want to point out tonight.
Picture a runner running around the track. With each lap he makes, someone hands him a 25-pound weight. After a while, he, understandably, begins to slow down. His legs are still moving, but they simply will not make his body move as fast as he would like. The obvious reason is that he is carrying around unnecessary weight. In order for him to run his best, he has to shed all the things that hinder him.
The same is true in the Christian life. I wonder how many of us find it difficult to keep our thoughts pure while spending so much time in front of the television or magazines, filling our minds with these thoughts. Or I wonder how many of us complain about not being able to focus our attention on God in prayer when we spend all day filling it with things that really don’t matter (as they come fleeting to our thoughts in prayer). I could list a number of things here. But the point is whatever is hindering you from loving God, obeying his commands, and loving your neighbor as yourself – get rid of it. In the words of Christ, “If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off” (Matthew 5:30). However, there is one more thing we must do.
The author of Hebrews writes not simply that we should run the race, but that we should run the race “with endurance.” The life that God has called us to live is not pictured in a sprint; it is a marathon. Therefore, we must determine not to quit when the road becomes challenging. We must declare that quitting will not be an option. After all, again, if the saints of old pressed on in light of what God would do to redeem us, how much more should we press on in light of what God has done in Jesus Christ?
There are severe warnings in Hebrews for people who decide that they are through with fighting the fight. Thus, we must be obedient, at all times, to every command received from our Lord. We must determine now that we will do this.
However, you are probably thinking, “Well, I know that I am supposed to do these things. I know that I am to throw off sin and obey God in everything. But that is not my problem. I need to know how.” And in regard to this need, the author gives us an answer as to how we run the race doing these two things along our way.
Now I know that this is somewhat of a cliché, as we often say, “Just look to Jesus for strength.” But there is a reason why we say it; there is truth in it. Let me give you two ways in which I think we are to fix our eyes on Jesus.
1) We need to remember that his work of redemption is the only reason we can live obedient before God.
The reason these exhortations to get rid of hindrances and to determine to press on are not legalistic is because you are not doing them to earn the favor of God. You are not doing them to attain a righteous standing before God. Rather, God has already accomplished your righteousness before him in the work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, you don’t have to live as if under the pressure of the Law with these things, thinking that you need to do them to merit God’s favor. For that cannot be. You will fail at some point of righteousness.
However, there is strength in remembering that, because of what Christ did on your behalf, you now have the strength to throw off sin and follow Christ all the days of your life. His atonement for your sins has made you free from slavery to sin and free to pursue obedience.
To get as practical as I can get with this: when you are in a time of struggle, verbally remind yourself of what Jesus Christ has done on the cross on your behalf. It may seem odd, but I’m sure it seemed odd to Peter that if he looked at Jesus he would have the ability to walk on water; nonetheless he did.
I’ve been in the heat of temptation to lust, or be lazy, or feel pride, greed, or malice and battled through the temptation in simply saying, “Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead to deliver me from this. I am reconciled to God and now have strength through Christ to overcome this.” And I have found strength.
While being tempted to doubt the power of thinking on that truth, remember that the gospel is the one truth powerful enough to take someone who is dead in their sins and bring them to life in Jesus Christ. Therefore, I encourage you to constantly renew your mind to the truth of the gospel. When you want to think of the glory of God in the face of the seeming glory of sin, look to the cross. It is there that Jesus “pioneered” and “perfected” our faith, accomplishing everything necessary for us to be partakers of the new covenant.
2) We need to remember that the unveiling of the atonement will be realized one day, when we will dwell with our Lord forever.
In other words, we need also to constantly remember what’s coming. When you do this, the three score and ten that we live here seems like nothing in comparison. The joy of this world appears more and more fleeting. And we are reminded that we are living for another place. We remember that we are awaiting the fulfillment of Christ’s promise to come again – that where he is there we may be also (John 14:2-3).
This is somewhat what the Old Testament saints did as they looked to Christ’s coming. So we look for his return. And it seems to be what Jesus did as Hebrews 12:2 says, “For the joy set before Him [He] endured the cross, despising the shame.” Jesus would not let the cross shame him, for he knew the greater joy that awaited him on the other side of it. In that moment he found power by looking to the ultimate unfolding of what would occur from his death, burial, and resurrection. We need to find power in looking to the same thing.
Therefore, yes, we need to throw off sin and determine to run the race of following Christ without quitting. But don’t forget that it can be done only because of what Christ did for us and that we can draw strength as we look (in faith) to the promise of dwelling with him for eternity.
Fixing our eyes upon Jesus, Amen.