Run with Endurance

Introduction

And according to the weather, welcome to fall. Kashka said, we might have service outside. That would last until the bugs came out at least. Will you open your Bibles with me to Hebrews chapter 12? Hebrews chapter 12 this morning, we’re talking about running a race. Now don’t be afraid, if you don’t like running, I’m with you. In Hebrews chapter 12, beginning in verse 1, the writer says, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a 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, 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.

Consider him who endured him from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted, and your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Now I wanted to insert some thoughts this morning on the tragedy that happened in Paris, and rather than shoehorning it into a lesson that I don’t see the perfect fit for, I would like to begin with a few words on that. Certainly, it was a tragedy that occurred in Paris on, I believe it was Friday evening. Brothers and sisters, we need to be praying for that city and that country. We need to be praying that the Lord blesses them. And yet I was disturbed yesterday to be signed on to my Facebook account, where on the side there’s a list of trending topics.

And one trending what one such trending topic that I found was hashtag pray for Paris. And when I clicked on it, I was a bit dismayed to see that a cartoonist had said, Don’t pray for Paris. And rather than coloring his reasoning why, I will tell you what I did see plain and simply and perhaps vulgarly from many people who jumped on that bandwagon. That many people don’t want to be prayed for. They don’t want God involved. After all, according to some people, religion is the reason that the bombings happened in the first place. And religion is not only worthless, but worthy of profanity-laden abuse speeches. And certainly praying is of no value in their eyes. I’d like to say that certainly it is a tragedy, and I’m not blaming this on anyone other than those responsible for the attacks.

But consider with me that we in this country are actively trying to kick God out of our government, out of our schools, and frankly out of our workplace discussions and even our home lives. And yet after 9-11 happened, a great terrorist attack that happened on American soil, there was one really great thing to experience, wasn’t it that everyone was saying, pray for us? Pray for us. Pray. Pray. All of a sudden we understood there was a need for God in this great time of tragedy, and some in some ways that’s great, in other ways we say, well, why does it take a national calamity to pray to God? And yet we’ve now reached a point where even at the time of great loss, where over a hundred people have lost their lives and even more wounded and chaos has been wrecked.

We don’t even want to pray for God then. It should come as no surprise that as we need God more than ever, the world is trying to shoe him away. Brothers and sisters, we must stick with God. We must pray to God at all times and over all things, because only with God will we have deliverance. Only with God will this country and our lives be what God expects them and desires for them to be for us. So please, let’s pray for Paris at this time in just a moment. Our dear God and most gracious Heavenly Father, we know you are the true and almighty God. We pray that we in all things and all ways glorify you, that you forgive us of the sin that marks our lives, that you hear our prayer at this time.

O Lord, help us to not grow weary of doing good, of proclaiming your name. Help us to never grow tired or have our light dim and shining for you in your purity and your holiness. O Lord, you are a mighty God. Help us to proclaim your name to the nations. Help us to live as Christians should and hopefully bring others to you. O Lord, we pray at this time in a special way for those in Paris, especially the brothers and sisters in Christ that may be over there at this time. We pray, dear Lord, that you view it the city, that they will recover. O Lord, that they and people around the world will understand that you are the one true and living God, that you are King and should rule over our lives in every aspect.

Thank you so much, O Lord, for your love, and we do thank you for the protections and the freedoms that we do enjoy in this country. Help us to never take things for granted and help us to always be thankful and to give glory to you. It’s in your Son’s name we do pray. Amen. With that said, as we consider the race that we are to run, there are a lot of obstacles, and sometimes it may be discouragement, and it may be some natural calamities. But as we continue our series in sermons from the book of Hebrews, I’d like to look at this idea of running with endurance. I wondered if there was anyone who likes running. I know one member of our congregation isn’t isn’t here this morning.

He loves running. That’s Brother Angelo Kusumano. He’s helping out the Isadiel Park Church of Christ, I believe, this morning. Or at least that’s what he has been doing. Maybe this morning he’s not. But he loves running. And I gotta tell you, I love when running stops. That’s my favorite part of running is when it’s over. And maybe you share that sentiment. And you know, as you go about it, you look at the end of verse 1, and you see part of what goes into that is laying aside every weight. And as part of that, even uh in the spiritual connotation, sin which clings so closely. So you see that not only do we need to be laying aside weights for this race that we are to run, this race needs to be run with what?

1. Looking to Jesus: Keep Our Eyes on Him

Well, with endurance. There’s nothing about this that sounds simple or easy. And can I tell you how I know that is? Because if running was that simple and easy, first of all, I would do it. Second of all, there’d be a lot of people running each and every day. But it’s not as easy as other forms of exercise, and certainly not as sitting on the couch and flipping through television channels. And so we know that running a race is gonna have some difficulty attached to it. But notice in verse 2, this is really the key sentiment of how we are to run this race. You see it in verse 2, and you’ll see it in verse 3. Look there with me. The first three words of verse 2 looking to Jesus.

And you see in verse 3, consider him. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus. If you consider the context of Hebrews, who is it to? Oh, it’s the Christians. Christians with a Jewish either background or Judaizing teachers around them, and there was a strong risk of them doing what? Well, falling away. In chapter 2 and chapter 3, and chapter 6 and chapter 10, and even more in between, perhaps, there are constant admonitions. Do not fall away. Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 12, don’t have an evil, unbelieving heart. Constantly, the message of this book is don’t fall away. Jesus is superior, especially to the old law. And so if Jesus is superior and we must keep with him, and we are at risk of falling away if we go on autopilot or simply choose to go a different direction for whatever the reason, we know that this is something we must focus on.

2. There Are Going to Be Struggles

That Jesus is not only the center of the better covenant, but he is how we are to run the race with endurance. Keeping our eyes on Him, looking to Jesus and considering Him. Now, how are we going to do that? Well, first of all, we need to realize that there are going to be struggles. You see in verse 3, not only are there weights that we need to put off, but in verse 3, why are we to consider him who endured from sinner such hostility against himself? Well, as the latter part of verse 3 says, so that you may not grow weary or faint hearted. You know, running a race, a lot of times the longer ones take a long period of time. And if I look around and I look back in the mirror, I say, you know, I’ve been doing this a pretty long time.

See, that’s a safer way than calling out people, saying they’ve been here a long time. Let me give that a second to set in. Nope, not gonna work. All right. So when we see in verse three this idea of growing weary or faint hearted, how does that happen? We’ve talked about it before many times. As a Christian, we go through each and every day we live and we go to bed and then we wake up and we live again, and life just keeps happening. And you know when we’re generally our most excited to be Christians? At the beginning. What was it like at the beginning? I think you’re gonna see how the picture of you as a Christian from the very beginning mirrors how we are to be in verses 1 through four.

How are you at the beginning? What do you do, first of all? Well, you believe in God and you confess Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, but you repent of your sins. What does that do? You’re turning from the sin. What are you doing? You’re laying aside the sin which clings so closely to you. And then you’re ready to run the race of endurance because what has the blood of Jesus done when you are baptized in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ? You are forgiven of your sins, and you can move forward of this race because you are passionate for Jesus. You know God exists. You know that you live to please him. And furthermore, you’re excited because he forgave you of your sins.

When we consider what our life was like without Christ, and then when we realize that we have found him, we have something worth living for. Amen. And that’s the passion with which we should live all of our days. But what’s the difficult thing about passion? Sustaining it. What’s the difficult thing about love? Continuing it, showing it at that high level of intensity while growing. Do you remember last Sunday morning we spoke about growing and how we should be more advanced in the Word according to Hebrews chapter 5? At least some of those Hebrew Christians would have needed to be. But let’s focus on how we are to do this. Did you notice in chapter 11 and verse 1? Let’s start going through the verses here. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely.

3. Surrounded by So Great a Cloud of Witnesses

Well, how are we going to do this? Well, you see that key word, that word we love in Bible studies in chapter 11 and verse 1? Therefore. What is Hebrews chapter 12 on the heels of? Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11, we know that great hall of faith chapter, but will you read with me some, beginning in verse 29? In verse 29, we’ve we’ve missed over some of the key characters that are a little more drawn out in the book of Hebrews, but pick pick up the reading with me in verse 29 of Hebrews chapter 11. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

By faith, Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Bayrak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were killed with the sword.

They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated, of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about in deserts and mountains and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised. Since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us, they should not be made perfect. Who is this great cloud of witnesses? Because of this great cloud of witnesses, we were moving into chapter 12. Who is it? It are those men who were what? Do you see it in verse 38? It’s a pretty strong designation, of whom the world was not worthy. Why? Were these some sort of superheroes? Were these some sort of special men with special abilities?

Well, in some cases, yes, they had special abilities in that they were caught, they contacted with God. God would speak through some of them. But do you realize the life they live? What happened to them? A lot of them, it was really bad. Did you see that in verse 36? Others suffered mocking and flogging. And even in verse 37, they were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. Brothers and sisters, these were men of faith. That’s who this cloud of witnesses are. And what does that mean for me? Why do I care about what happened to Gideon or Barak or Samson of David and Samuel and the prophets? What am I to do with that? How does that help me run my race?

Yes, they’re part of the Bible story, but what’s the Hebrews writer’s point here? I know I can do it. How? Because men have done it. I can tell you on a daily basis, I don’t and suffer chains and imprisonment. I don’t face stoning for proclaiming Christ. And do you know what that tells me? My race, at least in that lane, is a little bit smoother. It’s a little bit easier. I can do it. Men have done it. We can make this happen. And so we know that, we know the famous characters, as it were, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, these other great men listed in Hebrews chapter 11. What was their distinguishing characteristic? By faith, they acted. Their faith moved them past the challenges of this life, and it allowed them to finish the race with endurance.

4. The Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

And so I want to see, though, but that’s not where it ends. It ends in chapter 2 for us with looking to Jesus. If we are going to make the race, yes, we know we can do it because we have, we’re surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. We can look at the Bible story and look at those great examples of faith. But we’re not going to make it if we don’t consider Jesus. And the Hebrews writer is appealing to him here, and you see it. You see, what is the designation for him? The founder and perfecter of our faith. I’m reading from the English Standard Version. Yours may say the author and what? You think about these words. Think about what it means to be an author, to be a founder.

Look with me in Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 10. This means so much. And I think we overlook this part. In Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 10. 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. What happened to Jesus? Yes, he is the founder of our salvation. You see that there. He is the beginner. He provides the first occasion. That is what a founder is. But not only did Jesus, was he the founder of our salvation, how so? Well, he was made perfect through suffering. Jesus lived in this life. You see it in verses 3 and 4, and we’ll come back to this point. But consider with me, not only is he the founder of our faith, he is the perfecter of our faith.

He is the finisher of our faith. In what sense is he the finisher of our faith? Is he the perfecter? Well, without Jesus, we don’t have salvation. Jesus manifested the absolute consummation of faith for us. Without him, our faith wouldn’t make it. Jesus is our mediator to God. Because Jesus did that, we can live. You know that great song. Because he lives. We think about how that song should resonate in my life, because when life gets hard, when sin is clinging closely to me, when I can’t set aside every weight, what must I do? Look to Jesus. He has won the war for me. Will I consider him? Well, if you notice something about considering him, you look back in Hebrews chapter 12, notice the next phrase.

5. Jesus Endured the Cross

Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of God. Will you look with me in Matthew chapter 26? And what did he endure in the cross? Let’s check out before the cross picture. What did Jesus know was coming? In Matthew chapter 26. Matthew chapter 26, beginning in verse 36. Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, sit here while I go over there and pray. And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. And note what Jesus says three times, beginning in verse 38. Then he said to them, My soul is very sorrowful even to death.

Remain here and watch with me. And going a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, So could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Again, for the second time he went away and prayed, My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.

What was Jesus saying? If possible, let this cup pass from me. We take a great example from Jesus, and that that qualifier was perhaps the most important sentiment there. But not my will, but yours be done. But consider what Jesus knew was coming. This was going to be awful. This was gonna be terrible. You talk about mocking and being flogged. Jesus was mocked, he was flogged, he was beaten, he was spit upon. And who was that by men worthy of doing such to the Lamb of God? Certainly not. And worse yet, if we were to classify people, those who were beating him and spitting upon him, certainly were not what we’d even put in the high qualifying class. Look with me in Matthew chapter 27, beginning in verse 27.

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him, and they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand and kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews. And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. Brothers and sisters, this is the Lord. This is Jesus the Christ who suffered. Yes, he endured the cross. We know that. Yes, he endured the hostility from sinners.

But can we note that that was terrible? That there was agony that Jesus faced, not even just hanging on the cross, but before that. Did you see what they did? Look back at the text we just read. They put on a scarlet robe about him. They twisted in and made a crown of thorns to place on his head. They placed a reed on his right hand and they mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews, imagine going through that and knowing you are the Christ. And then they struck him on the head. Brothers and sisters, Jesus endured a great deal. Jesus endured the cross. And let’s not forget about something. Jesus was blameless. Jesus was innocent. Jesus did not deserve this. But whose will was he carrying out?

The Father’s. Jesus did that why? To fulfill the will of the Father and to die on the cross for me, for our sins. He died and shed his blood that I might be freed from sin. Jesus did that. And if I consider that, I can press on too. Because what Jesus has gone through is not something I’m likely to face. And even if it were, I know I can do it. I know what the Lord expects. His will to be done. Jesus is the perfect model for persevering and enduring the race. Well, how else are we to run? Well, we need to realize that, yes, we can do this. We must run with endurance. You notice back in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 3, when it says that consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you not may grow weary or faint hearted.

6. For the Joy That Was Set Before Him

How are we going to do that? We skipped over it in verse 2. Look there with me. Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who what? What preceded that? Who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross? What joy was set before Jesus? How are we going to run with endurance? Well, perhaps we should tap into what Jesus did. What did Jesus do? What possible joy did Jesus have knowing before him was the cross? We just read this scene in Gethsemane when he was praying three times. If possible, let this cup pass from me. And you know why? When you see the account of the crucifixion, it was awful. It was terrible. So what joy was Jesus seeing before him?

Look at your Bibles with me in Ephesians chapter 1. You look with me in Ephesians chapter 1. Beginning in verse 20. Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 20, that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him his head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. What did Jesus know was coming? Well, in verse 20, he was to be seated at the right hand in the heavenly places.

He was going to be above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named. But I don’t think the joy is just that. Understand, Jesus knew his mission. And he knew the mission statement. He knew why he was doing what he was doing. Jesus had his eyes set on the goal. What was the goal of Jesus’ sacrifice? What did Jesus say was his purpose for living? To seek and save the lost? How were we going to be saved? With the precious blood of the Lamb of God. So Jesus went forward with the cross. He endured the cross, he endured the hostility from sinners. How? With the joy set before him. We need to remember where we are going. We need to know that we can make it and we have something worth making, brothers and sisters.

That is the point. That is the message. How do we get there? We know where we’re going and we set our mind on that prize. Kind of makes you think of Paul’s words in Philippians chapter 3, verses 12 through 14, doesn’t it? We need to run the race with endurance. We need to know that Jesus went through it all. And in verse 4 of Hebrews chapter 12, you see to what point that went. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 4, the Hebrews writer makes the point to the Christians there. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. This is going to be a hard race. But the beauty is we can do this. We can make it.

If I’m going to have this constant sin and struggle, if I am to overcome staleness in my service, if I’m going to stop being a pew potato and start being a Christian in the Lord’s army, I have to know I can do it. How do I know I can do it? Because I’m going to look unto Jesus. That is how we are going to make this happen. I want to look at some points by Brother Mark Copeland that he quoted from an article called Formula for Spiritual Success. If you want to be distressed, look within. If you want to be defeated, look back. If you want to be distracted, look around. And I’m going to skip one. If you want to be delivered, look above. If you want to be distressed, look within.

If you want to be defeated, look back. If you want to be distracted, look around. If you want to be delivered, look above. Brothers and sisters, there is salvation in no one else. Jesus is the name above all names. God is the one true and living God. We need to praise his name. We must serve Jesus the Christ. And realize if we’re going to run this race, we need to realize it’s going to take endurance. And the only way to make it through is to know why we are doing what we are doing. We need to be prepared for the long race and struggle. We need to be guard against growing faint-hearted by keeping our mind on why are we doing this? Because Jesus paid the price for our sins, and because he did that, I can be with God forever.

And isn’t that a wonderful thing? We must not allow ourselves to grow weary or faint-hearted. I want to talk a little bit more about this joy. We look at me in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 1. This joy that we need. Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 1. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it, what? Faith. The people of old received their commendation. Look down to verse 6. And without faith, it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. We must have this faith. Where is our joy found? Through our faith that God is. Where is our joy going to be found?

Through our faith that God will deliver. What is our faith in? That God will deliver me. That he can. How can I know that I can consider Jesus? I considered that he lived. Can I tell you that’s no small thing? That Jesus came into our form and lived as a man, that he was made perfect through suffering, according to Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 10. He completed our necessary steps for faith and became the mediator of the new covenant, that new covenant based on better promises, Hebrews chapter 8. We need to know if we are going to run the race, what are we signing up for? And when I look at Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1, I know I can do it because I can look around at the great cloud of witnesses around me.

Conclusion

I can see that Samuel did it, David made it, the prophets persevered. Even at the risk, even at the culmination of being sawn in two. Being a Christian isn’t easy. Nothing about running the race is simple. Nothing about having endurance or not growing weary is easy. But what we know is that we can do it. How are we going to do it? We need to consider Jesus. We need to lay aside every weight. We need to lay aside the cling, the sin that clings so closely. If we’re going to make this race, brothers and sisters, we need to be as unencumbered as possible. So as we conclude, think about that sin which clings so closely. What weights are we to set aside? If we’re living and I’m embroiled in some sort of sin that just seems to have its hold on me, I need to quit it and throw it out.

We need to stop the sin. We are not going to make this race if we are weighed down. And yet, on the other end of the perspective, on the spectrum, we can do it. And if I can do it, I can help others get there, and they can help me too. Those great men and women of faith of old, and these great men and women of faith in this building this morning who have come together to worship the Almighty God. Brothers and sisters, we can do it. But will we run the race? Will we run it to it till its completion? Will we run the race with endurance? Will you go to God in prayer with me? Our dear God, our most gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for laying aside the obstacle of death that lay before us.

We know that Jesus dying on the cross offers us the ability to have our sins forgiven, that his blood which was shed for the new covenant allows us to know that one day, O Lord, if we have faith and are found pleasing in your sight, that we can draw near to you. Oh Lord, you are a mighty God, and we pray that our faith, our true faith in you, the faith that the Bible speaks of, will be found in us. That is a faith that works, a faith that obeys, a faith that trusts that your ways are best, and that your ways certainly are higher than my own. Oh Lord, forgive me of when I do wrong. Forgive us of when we stumble and fall short.

But help us to know, O Lord, that we can do it. Thank you so much for sending Jesus not only to be the sacrifice for our sins, but to be the example to us of righteousness, to be our everything, to be our hope. We pray, dear Lord, that we will put all of our hope and trust in you, not on this world, not on ourselves, but trust wholly and completely in you, and that in so doing we will run the race with endurance. That one day we will be found at the gate of heaven and be told, enter in, thy good and faithful servant. You are a mighty, wonderful God, dear Lord. We pray that we worship you in spirit and in truth, and in all things and all ways are found pleasing in your sight.

Again, dear Lord, be with us through this day. Be with the men and women in Paris, and especially the brothers and sisters in Christ. And it’s in your Son’s name we do pray. Amen.