running the race

Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

The Christian life is often compared to a race. And a race is not something that you can compete in without getting involved. It takes effort. It takes participation. It is not an invitation to be a spectator, but a participant. It says let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…. Us is the church, particularly, the individual members that make up the body of Christ. You and I are called to run a race. The Christian life is not a spectator sport.

Now not all races are alike. This particular race that we are called to run isn’t a sprint, but a marathon. It’s an endurance race. A long distance race. It begins at the moment of conversion, upon salvation. And it ends with us seeing our Savior face to face. Whether that be in the clouds when He comes back to earth to set up His physical kingdom, or when we die and go to heaven. But in the time in between, we are urged to run.

Now notice there are two things here that we are told to lay aside. The first is weights. What are weights? Well, to start with, it’s not necessarily sin. It may be some innocent thing that in and of itself isn’t wrong, but it slows you down. 1 Cor. 6:12 says, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.”

I’m reminded of the scene in the movie Forest Gump. Maybe some of you’ve seen parts of it on TV. Forest has braces on his legs and he can’t walk very well. But one day he is walking home from school with his little girl friend, and these boys start chasing them. And the girl calls out to Forest, “Run Forest, Run!” And he begins to clumsily try to run with these legs all bound up in these braces, but as he gets going, she keeps calling him to run even faster and as he tries to do that the braces start coming apart and falling off, and Forest starts really running. Turns out he was a pretty fast runner without those braces on. Some of you need to throw away your crutches. Get rid of your braces. You don’t need them. God will give you the strength to run. Just let go of all that stuff that you think you need, but instead is holding you back and run!

Of course, some things are sins. There are weights and there are sins. Some things the Bible says flat out are sins. Adultery. Fornication. Homosexuality. Lying, False Witness. Drunkenness. Disobedience to parents. Stealing. Pride. Your conscience knows it’s a sin. God knows it’s a sin. You know it’s a sin. So quit it. Stop it. Repent of it. If you don’t, it’s going to entangle you. In other words, it’s going to wrap itself around you like an animal in a net and you won’t be able to run anymore. You’re going to trip and fall flat on your face. And you could even lose the race.

Sin is really a form of unbelief. We choose to believe a lie rather than believe what God has said. God said this is wrong and it’s bad for you. We say, no, I think it’s going to be good, to be satisfying. I think it’s going to be fun. And so we chose to believe ourselves and Satan and disbelieve God. Galatians 5:7 says, “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?”

Listen, Satan would love to trip you up in life’s race and get you to stay down there in the mud and just give up. He may be telling you, “Stay down, give up. It isn’t worth the effort. It’s too hard. It’s too lonely. You’re too discouraged.” But when we fall, we need to lift up our head and look at Jesus. He is right there with us, saying, “Come on Son, you can do it. I’ll be right here with you. I will give you strength. Come on, let’s go.” And the cloud of witnesses who have gone on before us I believe are cheering us on as well. If we could hear them, I believe they would be saying, “Don’t give up, keep on keeping on. It will be worth it all, when you see Jesus!”

hope for the new year

John Lennon wrote a song titled “Merry Xmas, War is Over” which has become popular around the holiday season. The lyrics go like this: “So this is Christmas, And what have you done? Another year over, And a new one just begun. A very merry Christmas, And a happy New Year, Let's hope it's a good one, Without any fear.”

Such a sentiment is a common theme around the New Year. Hope for the future from the world’s perspective is peace, no death, no fear. But the reality is that such a hope is little more than a wish. The truth is, there is no prospect of peace on the horizon. Disease and war and tragedy continue to claim human life. Economic fear grips the world as we struggle to get out of the recession.

But for the Christian, hope produces something more. Hope produces faith. Faith goes beyond where hope stops. It doesn’t simply wish, it actually believes and acts with assurance on that belief. It’s not based just on sentiment. Hebrews tells us that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Specifically, faith is believing not just in a vague hope for a “better tomorrow”, but for a Christian, faith is believing in the promises of God. Believing that God’s word is true and will not fail. And the incredible thing is this faith in God and His word becomes our justification. Romans 4:3, “Abraham believed God and He counted it to him as righteousness.” This faith becomes our justification, producing our salvation, by granting to us our righteousness not on the basis of what we have done, but by faith in what Jesus has done. And this salvation becomes our hope. Real hope for a future without the futility of suffering and death that are the hallmarks of this world. It comes full circle. Hope brings about faith, which produces justification, which produces salvation, which produces a more certain hope.

Consider this passage describing our hope from Romans 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

As we stand upon the precipice of 2012, we don’t know what the future holds. And yet for the Christian, we have hope that supersedes any fear. We have peace with God. We have a future reserved for us in heaven. We have a disease free body waiting for us when this old one wears out.

Listen, Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end of our faith. He will walk with us through 2012 and beyond, through whatever trials and tribulations that may lie ahead. He said “I will never leave you nor forsake you. And I will come again for you, that where I am, you shall be also.” This is our hope. A hope grounded in the written promises of God. A hope that perseveres beyond the grave. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in Me shall never die.”

We are starting off the New Year at the Beach Fellowship in our Wednesday evening Bible study with the book of Romans. I hope that you will make a resolution to participate with us this year in this life changing study. Happy New Year.