RUNNING THE RACE
Hebrews 12:1-4 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.
Do Not Grow Weary
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
Two gas company servicemen, a senior training supervisor and a young
trainee, were out checking meters in a suburban neighborhood.
>They parked their truck at the end of the alley and
worked their way to the other end. At the last house, a woman looking out
her kitchen window watched the two men as they checked her gas meter
>Finishing the meter check, the senior supervisor
challenged his younger coworker to a foot race down the alley back to the
truck to prove that an older guy could outrun a younger one.
As they came running up to the truck, they realized
the lady from that last house was huffing and puffing right behind them.
They stopped and asked her what was wrong.
Gasping for breath, she replied, "When I see two gas
men running as hard as you two are, I figured I'd better run too!"
This lady was running , as if her life depended on it.
As christians, we are running a spiritual race.
In 1968, the Olympics were held in Mexico City. The last runner to finish the marathon was a guy from Tanzania. During the race, he had broken a leg. He'd stumbled, he'd been hurt badly, he was bruised, beaten up, and he was bloodied. Long after everybody else had finished the race, and in fact as the stadium quickly emptied - there were only 7,000 people left - around 7:00 in the evening, as it was getting dark, he entered to do his last lap and finish the marathon. The crowd gave him a standing ovation. Later on he was asked, "Why didn't you quit when you were hurt and bruised, bloody, discouraged Why didn't you quit?" He gave a classic answer. He said, "My country did not send me 7,000 miles around the world to start the race, but to finish it."
The Bible teaches very clearly that life is a race. Unfortunately, most people never finish it. Some people don't know it's a race. I meet people all the time that don't know that they have a purpose for living. They think they're alive so they can take a stroll.
The secret for running the race, is to live Christlike.
. The need for the race
Returning to the notion of running a marathon in the next Olympics, you begin working out; you quickly understand the need for intentional training. The Olympic Committee enlisted you to run, not a sprint, but a 26.2-mile endurance competition. In a sprint, you run a short distance as fast as you can. Speed is of utmost importance. But in a long distance contest such as a marathon, endurance is the key. You want to make it to the end.
I'm told that two critical times exist in a marathon race. The first one is at the beginning. As you leave the starting line, you feel so good that you believe that you can keep up this pace throughout the race. The temptation is to run too fast too soon. Energy is expended and none is left for the end of the race. The second critical time in a marathon is at the halfway point. You suddenly realize that you still have as far to go as you've already run and you're already very tired. Runners call it "hitting the wall." You've come to the end of your stamina and you're not sure you can put one foot in front of the other anymore.
Races are not always won by the fastest. But rather by the one that keeps hanging on, who refuses to give up. Those who persist prevail.
D.H. Groberg in his poem "The Race" describes a young boy who ran a race, falling many times, yet finishing. He wrote in one stanza
And to his dad he sadly said,
"I didn't do too well."
"To me, you won," his father said.
"You rose each time you fell."
Likewise, the great need for spiritual races is persistence. Time and time again The Scripture exhort us to persist and endure.
The apostle Paul prayed for the Colossians "May you be strengthened with all power . . . for all endurance and patience" (Col. 1:11 HCSB).
Paul reminded Timothy, "if we endure, we will also reign with Him" (2 Tim. 2:12 HCSB).
Then the writer of Hebrews states, "For you need endurance, so that after you have done God's will, you may receive what was promised" (Heb. 10:36 HCSB).
In the spiritual race you are running, don't quit. Never give up. Keep going. If you have tripped and fallen, don't stay there.
Maybe life has thrown you some curve balls. Maybe in your race you've been knocked off your feet a few times. You are thinking since you're already on the ground, there's no point in getting back up. Rather than getting up you're planning on hanging it up.
The movie, Chariots of Fire, is the true story of Eric Liddell, a man who ran in the 1924 Olympics for Scotland, then went on to become a missionary. Before his run in the Olympics, Eric Liddell ran in a meet between England and France. He ran the 100-, 220-, and 440-yard events. (The video clip from Chariots of Fire may be shown here or just tell the story.) In the 440, he got off to a bad start. When the gun sounded, there was a lot of shoving to get in front to the inside land, the advantageous position. Liddell tangled feet with J. J. Gillies of England and tumbled to the track. He sat there dazed for a moment, not knowing whether he could get up, when the official screamed, "Get up and run!" He jumped to his feet and took off after the pack, which was now a full twenty yards ahead of him. In a quarter mile, that's a long distance to make up. In his unorthodox style of running he took off after the pack. He pulled into fourth place ten yards behind the leader, J. J. Gillies. With forty yard to go, he pulled into third place, then second. Right at the tape he passed Gillies, stuck his chest out, won the race, and collapsed to the track in total exhaustion. Medical personnel had to assist him off the track that day.
An article appearing the next day in The Scotsman newspaper said, "The circumstances in which Liddell won the race made it a performance bordering on the miraculous. Veterans whose memories take them back thirty-five years and in some cases longer in the history of athletics were unanimous in the opinion that Liddell's win in the quarter mile was the greatest track performance they had ever seen."
There is something noble and honorable about not quitting - about getting back up and dusting yourself off and continuing to compete. Remember it is not about finishing last or finishing first, but simply about finishing. Don't give up on God because he hasn't given up on you. You can do this. You can finish the race. You can bring home the gold.
Remember the old favle of the tortoise and the hair. The turtle was slow, but he finished the race, because he kept on running, and didn't quit.
conclusion: Why should we run the race?
I. We have such a great cloud of witnesses–our audience cheering us on!
1. Q: Who are they? A: God’s faithful.
2. Q: What did they do? A: Chose to suffer rather than to enjoy pleasure for a season.
3. Q: Why did they do it? A: To attain the resurrection.
II. We have the standard of greatness–the author and perfector of the faith Jesus Christ.
1. Q: Who is he? A: The originator and finisher of the faith.
1) Acts 3:15–Prince of life
2) Acts 5:31–Prince and Savior
3) Hebrews 2:10–Captain of our salvation.
2. Q: What did he do? A: He endured!
1) Philippians 2:5ff
2) From Palm Sunday to cross.
3. Q: Why did he do it? A: For the joy set before him.
1) John 10:18 “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”
2) Hebrews 7:27 “Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.”
III. We have our trainer–God the Father–chastening us to perfection.
1. Q: Why must we be chastened?
1) A1: The scriptures teach it.
2) A2: A good Father chastens his Sons.
2. Q: What should our attitude be toward this chastening? A: Respect the father for his concern about our eternal life.
3. Q: What are the results of chastening? A: Yield good fruits.
1) Luke 8:8 the seed that fell on good ground brought forth fruit.
2) Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Conclusion
CONCLUSION:
1. Why should we run the race?
1) We have a great cloud of witnesses.
2) We have the standard of greatness.
3) We have the perfect trainer.
