Run the Race
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As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love for us,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
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51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were experiencing persecution. Some were tempted to return to Judaism some were tempted to split off and do their own thing, and some were tempted to jack it in and not meet together at all (Hebrews 10:25).
This ‘letter’ was written to urge them to persevere, (12:1). This theme of enduring crops up throughout the whole epistle - words like: strive, go on to maturity, seize hope, hold fast (Ref - Hebrews 3:6, 4:11, 6:1,18 10:23). And here the writer in Hebrews 12:2 explains how our Lord for the joy set before him endured the cross so that we will not grow weary and lose heart.
Three things stand out in these few verses regarding our Christian journey. Run the Race, Throw off anything that hinders and Fix your eyes on Jesus.
1. Run the Race (Heb 12:1)
2. Throw off … (Heb 12:1)
3. Fix your eyes on Jesus (Heb 12:2)
Run the Race
..let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, Heb 12:1
I think Paul may have been an athlete or he may have been interested in sports.
Run, is a metaphor he uses in 1 Cor 9:24, Hebrews 12:1, 2 Timothy 4:7.
A Race is a picture taken from the Olympics and today we have races before us on our media with the Olympics and Paralympics. As Christians, we are not on a stroll, or we are not tourists (admiring the sights elsewhere - as it were going from church to church - just looking) – we are pilgrims on a journey – we are heaven bound – and our earthly goal is Christlikeness.
Run with perseverance, the race marked out for us. (Aristotle wrote about athletes that fling themselves at the finishing tape – enduring to the end. Paul is using a similar image to run till we break the tape - from time to eternity. For our earthly lives, God has a plan for our lives,' ‘the race marked out for us.’ As we draw near to Him he will direct our paths. If our lives have been changed by Jesus, I need to ask, how are we running?
Running is an action, we are not an armchair church nor an ‘I’m all right jack church’ - I am saved and secure - no we have a mission to spread the Good News. We were born again to run. I as it again, ‘Am I running or watching’? Am I active or passive in my faith?
An athlete as he/she approaches the stadium hears the crowd. He lengthens his stride and speeds up. A great cloud of witnesses stand and urge the runner on. That’s for you and I to be encouraged and strengthened for the race.
Throw off everything that hinders -Hebrews 12:1
This is another aspect to the metaphor. Throw off – that which slows us down.
Athletes used to train with weights on their legs and on their backs – but for the race we are told to get rid of unnecessary weights.
When I used to train, I would run with weights around my ankles and when you removed them you felt freer, and lighter, and you were fitter.
Imagine those cyclists in the velodrome, wearing their aerodynamic gear, the helmet and all that lycra. Now imagine that Olympic gold medalist Chris Hoy arrives for the race. He is dressed in T-shirt and jeans, brogues on his feet and he says he’s ready. No Chris get your lycra on. No he says, ‘I like this T shirt.’ Wear your tight shorts Chris! No he says, ‘I like these jeans,’ Chris put a cycle hat on. No he says, ‘I don’t want to mess up my hair.’ How ridiculous this sounds. We have to ‘Throw off anything that hinders,’ it may be a secret sin like an old T shirt that you just cant get rid of. Maybe drink, drugs, possessions, or power-seeking that entraps – throw them off. It can also be good things that weigh us down for the race. Things that have crept in to be Lord of our lives – garden, family, money, home - all of these can get in the way and hinder us from running the race.
Matthew 16:24 says - deny self, take up cross. Luke 14:26 (puts it even stronger).
Throw off stuff that hinders. Seek and pray that Jesus is Lord of all of your life.
Fix your eyes on Jesus -Hebrews 12:2
This wasn’t about positive thinking. It is not about pulling yourself up by your own bootlaces, nor is it about, fixing eyes on the cloud of witnesses. They were flawed David, Samson, Jacob, and Noah, all of them had failings. We are to fix our eyes on Jesus. Only he could be our pioneer and perfector of our faith (v2). We can rely on his presence, with us always, ‘withness’ is such an important aspect of our faith. Think about the name Emmanuel which means, ‘God with us.’ Jesus is both our destiny and our companion for the race.
The writer was trying to encourage the readers and listeners who are faced with difficult times and so he says v2 Fix your eyes on Jesus. For the Hebrews Christians that meant persecution. Maybe we have not faced such persecution in this country - but you will have difficult times ‘trouble’ of some sort - and this message is for you . The writer was trying to encourage them and us to look to Jesus the pioneer (he is the only begotten son of God) and perfector – (he endured the cross, he was without sin). Now he is sat at the Right Hand of the Father and we can be anchored to him (Hebrews 6:19,20).
We can only run the race in difficult times if we have our eyes, not on ourselves, not on spiritual heroes but onto Jesus.
It is a bit like looking down when you’re going up a ladder - if you focus on yourself - or the danger around you - you will be fearful or fall but if you look to the Lord Jesus (look up the ladder) you will see what he is doing for us at the Right Hand of the Father. There he petitions for us, he cheers us on, and empowers us by the Holy Spirit to not grow weary and lose heart. This is the message to these Hebrew Christians, throw off, run the race.
As we fix our eyes on Jesus at this time he will surely guide us in decisions and appointments and the mission that is ahead of us.
Cover Photo Jason Swain Photography https://jasonswain.co.uk/
