Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us, "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. 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 the throne of God.
The Book of Hebrews is one of those books where the author is unknown. The writer is obviously a Jew since he identifies himself with his people and their customs. Many scholars who have studied Hebrews believe Paul is the author. One thing for sure, the writer seeks to encourage people to move ahead in their spiritual lives by showing them that in Christ they have their better blessing. What is he saying? Now is the time for "a new beginning" in life. Yes, you maybe going through some type of suffering and/or persecution, but this is not the end, what is needed from you is Christian discipline.
I call upon you today to forget about what suffering and disappointments you might have had last year. Please give it all to Jesus and declare this year "a new beginning." "For this is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).
The writer of Hebrews must have been familiar with the Olympic games, because he begins chapter twelve in such a way which makes it appear that there are runners who have completed the race that was set before them, and are now in the heavenly viewing stand keeping watch on the present day saints as they strive for the finish line. In other words, these warriors from the past understood the discipline needed to run and stay in the race.
Great men and women of faith have passed on and are now that "great cloud of witnesses." Who are these witnesses? They are little giants and big giants who valued Christian discipline. They are not mere spectators, but are those who have borne witness to the truth, witnessing to us by their lives of faith and their endurance. They are the worthies of Hebrews chapter eleven, and those whom we had the chance to see and meet in our life time. What an array of saints looking down upon us. They are encouraging us to continue on in this marathon of a race, that is called life. They are aware that this race is not to the swift or the fastest, but to the ones who will endure until the end. What are they saying to us? With a grand burst of faith their song cry is, "Press on! Fear not! Run on! Don't quit! You can make it! Behold, we have passed the torch to thee!" With all of this said, I ask of you my sisters and brothers in Christ, shall we falter? NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! We too will run this glorious race with discipline with our eyes fixed on Jesus, knowing that He will never leave us or forsake us. We too desire that day when we will sit in the viewing stand with our eyes fixed on the saints of a future day.
My fellow Believers, we are in a marathon of a race. Atlanta hosts a marathon every year. That Atlanta marathon does require training and discipline, and like most races it offers a prize for the top finishers. Everyone who meets the qualification to participate is permitted, but there is no spiritual value, all you have to do is finish the race and you are guaranteed a Peachtree Road Race T-Shirt.
This race mentioned here today in Hebrews is different. It will teach you "the value of discipline" with an eternal prized to be gained. Therefore, we must train our bodies for what lies ahead. We also know we are not alone in this race of life, because to be alone is terrible, it can be devastating. Remember that we have a great cloud of witnesses. What a benefit to us! We are encouraged to go forward, therefore; we will never imagine that we are alone. It is a long race, a marathon, not a sprint. We will run with perseverance and patience, up hills and down hills, through the waters and through the fire, but yet we must press on. Failure is not an option, and we will not allow the trappings of this world to detour us.
For the long grind we will hurl the weights of life, those little things and large things, that while not sinful in themselves, holds us back in our battle with the evil one. It is that constant battle that seeks to occupy our thoughts and purpose, day in and day out. How is it that we settle for so little when our Savior wants us to have the best He can offer us? We can't allow ourselves to grow tired and weary.
What are those sins that so easily beset us? It is those things that seems so personal and surrounds us, and make it impossible for us to run any kind of race. How we need to confess our sins daily, to run in the freedom of God's grace. My fellow Believers, unconfessed sins are the Christians most deadly enemy. God has provided a throne of grace to take care of our sins and have given unto us His Holy Spirit within us. Therefore, there is no need of any child of God, being unable to throw aside these besetting sins.
Another one of our enemies is "unbelief." Unbelief is the failure to trust God to be our Deliverer. We must have complete trust in the promises of God and complete confidence that the life of faith is sure to win. Unbelief is sin, and there is nothing which which will hold you back as unbelief will. It is just like trying to get to the finish line with the weight of the world on your back. You will never be able to reach God's rest.
We need to continue to look unto Jesus. How we need to know and see the One who has gone before us. One who knows the course of time and can guide and inspire us along the way. When we are looking unto Jesus, He affords us secret encouragement and strength, when the race gets difficult. Too often our eyes are fixed on ourselves, other people, and circumstances, instead of fixing them on Jesus. Jesus is our life coach and our example in this race, and His word is our daily preparation and inspiration. We must declare that we will do all in order to run with the faith imparted to us. Races are never won by looking back, so we will keep our eyes on the prize and that is Jesus. Jesus is our Man of faith. Faith for Him was seeing the end from the beginning, and enduring. He lived His life on the human level, as we live ours, and that is by faith.
Let us not rob the cross of its shame or its power, by minimizing the humanity of our perfecter of our faith. He despised its shame. Does that mean anything to you? Will we mock His death in shame as we live our lives refusing to realize that price that was paid on Calvary? What He went through, dying for all humanity and giving us the right to eternal life. Can you not depict the desperate shame of that cross which symbolized the worst of death to wear around our necks, as a show piece. Let me ask this question. Do we glory in the electric chair? I am yet to see someone wear a replica depicting the electric chair around their neck. That would be unthinkable. Yet the cross in Jesus' day stood for even worse, and today we wear it in vane. But Jesus despised it and endured its shame and suffering. He was determined to finish the race, honoring the Father.
Who can depict the suffering of the Lamb of God, He who knew no sin, being made sin? Why did He suffer? "For the joy that was set before Him endured the cross." Our Lord went through many trials while on earth. What was it that helped take Him through to victory? It was the joy that was set before Him. Yes! That joy was in fulfilling the will of His Father and in looking forward to the accomplishment of the divine plan of redemption in the age to come. With such a vision, He could suffer anything, and He did, for He is and was, in the words of that sweet hymnal, "Love Divine, all love excelling, Joy of heaven to earth to come down." What an example! What a perfecter of faith!
How do we obtain this? Only by submitting to the disciplinary training of our heavenly Father, we will overcome the obstacle along the way. For this race, we need training that makes us, compel us, to train our spirit, as well as our bodies to obey the rules of life. God is not mocked and whatever we sew in any realm of life is exactly what we will reap. Training can not happen without pain. This is apparent in all areas in life and especially in that of the soul, where the self must be denied and crucified. Discipline may demand suffering. Christ was made perfect by His suffering. Do you think for one moment we can be made perfect apart from suffering? Let us not be discouraged if we are called upon to share His suffering.
As human beings, the crown of His creation, we have two choices to suffering. We can turn away from Him or we can turn to Him. We can be inspired by what He went through. Suffering within the framework of the Christian faith should lead us to a deeper knowledge of God and of one self. Let us not despise such discipline, because it is for our good. God has a divine plan and purpose for each of us and whatever comes in His providence is for our eternal good. This takes the sting out of pain, suffering, loss, and apparent defeat. I admonish you to remember discipline is necessary for the journey. And the divine result of all we go through is that we may share His holiness.
Let this day be "a new beginning" in your life. "Let us throw off everything that hinders" and run with patience the race that is set before us. "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 it shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Let us start anew in Christian disciple that we may understand "the value of Christian discipline." The training is not going to be easy, but it is rewarding. Let us go immediately into God's exercise room and start training as though we were preparing for the next Olympic game. Let us start every morning doing some chin-ups. Looking unto the hill from whence come our blessings. Giving thanks to our Lord for those two inseparable twins, grace and mercy. Then we are going to do some push-ups. Pushing away all that stuff and all those things that hinders our worship. We are going to push-up, up, up, and away. Then we are going to do some sit-ups. No longer will we lay down on the Lord. Scripture reminds us that Jesus said, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33). God requires of us to stand up for Christ and you can do it in the power of God. "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men [women] of courage; be strong. Do everything in love" (1 Corinthians 16:13-14).