Sermon Text: Hebrews 12:1-3
CHRISTIANS ARE FIT FOR THE RACE
My former church in Ohio has an annual 5K race. The purpose is to get exposure in the community and, perhaps, find an opportunity to share the gospel with someone else. Similar reasons are behind our Oktoberfest.
Now, there was one member who had signed up to run. It surprised everybody because he seemed like the last person on earth to try such a thing. He was overweight, used to smoke, and in all likelihood, didn’t seem like a candidate for the race. But he was determined to run. He surprised everyone all right. Not only did he finish the race, he completed it in good time.
The Lord has called us to run a race. It’s not a 5K or triathlon, instead it is a race through this life. This is a race we run as members of the Christian Church on earth. Sometimes when we look at ourselves we might think we are ill equipped to run. Nothing could be further from the truth. As we look at where our congregation has been and where it seems to be going, we can take heart. We’re not out of shape or lagging behind. Today, God tells us that we CHRISTIANS ARE FIT FOR THE RACE. 1) The Course Is Clearly Marked. 2) We Have Help Along the Way.
1) The Course Is Clearly Marked
I traveled to Atlanta this past week. Initially, I was concerned about the congestion and traffic at the airport. Thankfully, my concerns were for nothing. The lines were longer, the security heightened, but everything moved along smoothly. Part of the reason for this was that directions and instructions were noticeable. Everything was marked clearly.This alleviated a lot of the potential confusion and frustration I envisioned.
It’s the same way with the race we run as Christians. We are fit for the running because the course is clearly marked. The Lord is the one who has marked out the course for us. Notice what the writer to the Hebrews says concerning this: “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.” Now, that passage might make it sound like our perseverance and faith is of our own doing. Don’t misunderstand. While it’s true that we are encouraged to throw off sin and it’s tangled mess, we cannot do it on our own. We cannot run the race on our own. In fact, we find that we are weighed down with sin from the very beginning, and we only add to the weight as we try to progress. This burden of sin disqualifies us from the race. We’re incapable of finding the starting line on our own, let alone taking the first step of the race. Sin and its guilt can press down on us and leave us weak and weary.
So, we’re encouraged to travel light, to get rid of the excess baggage. Again, I’m reminded of my recent trip to the airport. The new rule is one carry-on bag per passenger. That means if you are used to cramming three or four bags into the overhead compartment, you’re going to have to get rid of a few, you won’t pass the security check. You’ll have to check that extra baggage at the ticket counter. It’s will slow you down, and probably cause confusion and frustration.
Now, to check in that extra baggage means you have to know where to go. You have to read the signs, follow the course, and get in the proper line. That’s precisely why our faith- race has marked out for us, so we don’t get confused and frustrated. It also implies is that someone has already traversed the course for us. We’re told exactly who has blazed this trail: “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 God.”
Christ Jesus has already run the race set before us, and he shows us how to get rid of the excess baggage. He tells us to check it on him. Jesus became flesh to furnish our salvation. He is the one who has authored our faith. He’s also the one who brings our faith to perfection in heaven. From the beginning to the end, Jesus is the object and cause of our faith, giving us something to believe and the faith to do so.
We have perseverance, because Jesus first persevered. He carried our excess baggage of sin, claiming it as his own. He did so by carrying the cross of torture and disgrace for us. That was no easy load, but Jesus held up under it. And the joy Jesus found in completing our salvation far outweighed the shame he suffered.
No wonder we can look to him and continue to find encouragement and source of strength. When our feet feel like lead and we think we can’t take another step, when our hearts are heavy and we feel like giving up, look to Christ. Realize that we can continue to give him our sins. He has claimed our baggage and checking it as his own. Everything he did was to redeem us. And just think of where Jesus is right now. We’re told that he “sat down at the right hand of God.” Jesus didn’t do this because he was too exhausted, or incapable of finishing. It’s just the opposite. Jesus is at his Father’s right hand because he is victorious. He won the race, marking the course as he went along. And he is in the postion of authority, to offer himself as a source of continual strength as we persevere. All of this is possible because Jesus is seated in glory. He is ruling over all things in our lives. He is in control.
That means we look to Christ Jesus and find complete satisfaction. We look to him and find forgiveness of sins. We look to him and find resurrection hope. We look to Christ and see that the race is clearly marked. It is marked by the cross and empty tomb. And so, when we look to Christ, we find the strength to cast off the sins that entangle us because Jesus has conquered sin’s power and influence. He’s removed the curse and guilt --the power and hold -- sin would have over us. He’s cleared away the stumbling blocks that would get in our way, marking the course. When we look to Christ we see that heaven is ours. The goal is in front because God’s grace is behind; his forgiveness holds us up and keeps us running. God’s grace strengthens us to pick up the pace and lengthen our stride on the track to heaven.
2) There’s Help Along the Way
Still, the fact remains that we must run with perseverance. The reason is that this life is an agonizing experience. It is necessary that we keep on running the race with perseverance. That means we run without slowing down or stopping. This race is not some 50-yard dash; it’s a life-long marathon. This is where Christ’s accomplishments come into play. We have Christ’s life, death, and resurrection as our course markers. That would be enough to equip and motivate us to run with endurance. Yet, God is so gracious that he gives us more than these. In addition to his Son’s perfect work of salvation, God gives us the encouragement of fellow Christians to help us along the way. The writer explains: “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.”
We’re not alone. We are surrounded by all those who have gone before us and who have completed the race in Christ. They are described as a cloud. This is meant to describe the sheer number of witnesses surrounding us. They are a great throng. This is a dense crowd that encompasses us. It’s as if they stand there to witness to the fact that we are running a victory lap. We run with steady perseverance, but we run the course these same martyrs have run; in fact the very race Christ has run. It leads to victory. And so we are spurred on. Just picture yourself running towards the winning post and the crowd is urging you on.
The question might be asked, “Who is this great crowd of witnesses? Sometimes I feel all alone.” Well, they are the same ones mentioned in Hebrews 11. There we encounter a great “hall of faith.” One after the other these great men and women of faith appear before us: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, and the list goes on. What’s encouraging to note is that these were all human beings, just like us. They had their strengths and weaknesses, just like us. They were sinners, just like you and me. They also had the promises of God, just like us. That’s what made them strong and enabled them to persevere.
We are not alone because the faithful in heaven stand with us as a testimony to God’s faithfulness. If they are in heaven, so shall we. That helps us along the way, doesn’t it? When we look around our lives and wonder what will become of the world, we can look ahead and see a perfect world. When we wonder what tomorrow might bring, we look to Jesus and see a perfect future prepared by him. When we get so caught up in the here and now, consider the hereafter. And when we look around here and see people who discourage us, bother us, or even annoy us, remember these are fellow-runners. These are the same people, Lord-willing, with whom we will share the joys of heaven. So, lift your eyes from the sands of this world to the shores of heaven.
The grace of our Savior is evident in our lives. It is in us. God’s grace in Jesus keeps us moving along at a steady pace. This same grace was in the lives of the faithful who have gone before us,it’s with those around us here and now. Don’t forget we’re in this together. There’s an Irish saying: “To live above with the saints we love, ah, that is the purest glory; to live below with the saints we know, ah, that is another story.” We look around and see people who are in agony as they persevere. We see people who are often weak, confused, afraid, and doubtful. Sometimes, this might lead us to be discouraged and lose heart. Don’t get detoured. Know that Christ Jesus is ahead of us. He is behind and on every side. He will lead us to see that this weak people is really his people, and that he is among them.
For this to happen we need to use the means of grace daily. We need to be in the Word of God, partaking of the Sacrament; growing in our faith of a certain victory. God’s grace needs to be a regular part of our lives. We need his power and aid. Well, is it in you? There’s a certain commercial, which asks that very question. It’s an advertisement for the sports drink, PowerAde. The commercial depicts athletes performing amazing feats. The point is that if you drink their product you’ll be able to have extraordinary endurance and strength.
Is God’s gracious power and rich aid in you? We can say absolutely, it is. For God comes to us and gives his grace and aid. He pours his power and strength out on us in abundance. He gives us his holy Word. He provides us with his sacraments. We can’t run to God on our own. He first comes to us. And once his power works faith in us, he instills in us a desire to continually seek his power and aid, so that, together, we can run with perseverance. Amen.
