I don't know if you noticed this week, I think it was this week, might have been last week,
I'm not a particularly careful watcher of it, but it was His Royal Highness Prince George
of Cambridge's first birthday this week, and there was a bit of a hoopla across the pond,
as they say over there, and maybe you do too, it was a celebration of this little boy.
I was reflecting on him because I was thinking, man, as a one-year-old, what a life he has in
front of him. He is the great-grandson of the queen, the grandson, yes, the great-grandson
of the queen. One day he will be a king. He will grow up as royalty. He will grow up as
a son of the king one day, most likely, and he has a path that's set before him. In living out this
great privilege and this great honor that he has, his life will be marked by certain particular ways
in which he will have to grow up, be trained, things that he will have to pursue in order to
live out the life that he has been given because of his birth. No doubt, challenges will abound.
He will have to grow up in manners and in protocol in ways that we never will, and I'm sure as a young
child he will find that difficult. Certainly his, both his father and even more famously his uncle,
struggled to live out the youthful calling to be the son of a king. And even today, if you read the
tabloids, it's still a struggle sometimes, isn't it? To live out this calling and to be who they are
called to be because of their birth. He will need training. He will need discipline. He will forsake
living a normal life to pursue this particular life that he has been given. And it will give him a
focus of his life that will either be a crushing burden or a great joy.
Friends, this morning we are going to look at Hebrews. We're continuing in our series in Hebrews chapter 12.
Hebrews chapter 12. And what I want you to see this morning is that just like His Royal Highness Prince
George of Cambridge, for all who are in Christ, there is now a calling, a birthright, a future set before us.
Hebrews is picturing it athletically as a race to run, which is also a helpful picture,
like a marathoner, to actually be able to compete at the highest levels.
To have discipline and training and focus about what we are doing and how we are going to pursue it.
Hebrews brings these themes together in our passage this morning.
And it raises a question for us, for all who are in Christ.
How do we run the race set before us as children of the King,
as beloved sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father?
This is the question that our passage puts before us this morning.
So if you want to turn with me to Hebrews chapter 12.
That's on page 1,000 and, oh, I forget to look at this every week.
9, 10, 11, something like that.
Is that right? Yeah? Okay.
Hebrews chapter 12.
We're going to be looking at verses 12 through 17.
So if you want to turn there with me.
And as you're turning there, I want you to see the flow of thought in chapter 12.
Because if you remember, chapter 12 begins with this majestic statement that's so famous and well-known.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us run the race set before us, laying aside the entanglements and the sin.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.
Let us look to Him, the author 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 God.
So this is the beginning.
Therefore, let us run this race.
But then He shifts gears almost immediately.
And in verses 4 through 11, He answers a question that many of us ask.
If we are indeed children of God, if we are indeed in Christ,
and Christ has done all of these things for us,
why is it so hard?
Why has God not made it easy?
And if you remember, if you were here last week,
or if you look through verses 4 through 11,
the answer that He gives is,
it is not easy because God loves you.
And the things that are hard,
the trials that you are facing right now,
are not signs of God's abandonment or lack of care for you.
Indeed, they are signs that He loves you.
Because every father loves his children
by training them and disciplining them
so that they might know more of what is right and good.
So that in this context,
we may know God and His ways more and more
and live in the birthright that He's given us.
And this is the context that leads us
to our passages this morning.
Hebrews 12, 12.
Let's read it together.
Therefore, therefore, because we have this race to run,
therefore, because God loves us,
and so this race will not be easy,
therefore, lift your drooping hands,
strengthen your weak knees,
and make straight paths for your feet
so that what is lame may not be put out of joint,
but rather be healed.
Strive for peace with everyone
and for the holiness without which no one will see God.
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God,
that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble,
and by it many become defiled,
that no one is sexually immoral or unholy,
like Esau who sold his birthright for a single meal.
For you know that afterwards,
when he desired to inherit the blessing,
he was rejected for he found no chance to repent,
though he sought it with tears.
Let's pray together.
Lord, we ask this morning that your word would speak to us.
Lord, enlighten our minds,
encourage our hearts,
Lord, refresh our souls.
Lord, we pray this morning that you would give us endurance
to run the race set before us.
God, that we would not give up,
but that we would press on.
Lord, help us to see your grace
that enables us to do it.
Lord, I pray you would help me to speak clearly,
and I pray that as we all sit under your word this morning,
that you would speak to us.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Today, we'll look at what it looks like to run the race of God,
and to run the race as a child of God,
and we will see in our passage three things.
If you're taking notes,
these are your three things to hang your notes on.
The first thing is there is going,
there's going to be a description of the path to run.
The second one is about the pitfalls to avoid,
and our third point will be the provision to endure
as we run this race.
So let's look at these in order.
First, there is a path to run.
Look with me again at verses 12 through 14.
Therefore, lift your drooping hands
and strengthen your weak knees
and make straight your path
so that what is lame may not be put out of joint,
but rather be healed.
The rite of Hebrews picks up an evocative image,
and it's probably not hard for you to think
if you watch the World Cup.
Think about the guys running the field
at the 118th minute of overtime.
When the ball goes out of bounds,
they all bend over,
put their hands on their knees.
Basketball, they call it,
hanging on their shorts
because they're so tired,
they can barely stand up.
Or if you're a runner,
think of the toil
of those running the Boston Marathon,
hitting that 20-mile mark
and hitting Heartbreak Hill,
that long incline.
And think of the image of an exhausted runner
struggling, striving, drooping hands
and weak knees,
wondering,
can I ever make it up this hill?
This image is not original to the writer of Hebrews.
If you listen carefully to the passage earlier in Isaiah that we read,
there Isaiah was encouraging his people
in the midst of great trial and tribulation,
in the midst of great calamity.
He's encouraging them,
don't give up,
for your God will come and save you.
The imagery continues in verse 12,
or in verse 13.
He says,
make straight your path.
And I was thinking about this.
What is he talking about?
There's another place,
again in Isaiah,
remember Isaiah 6?
I think, no,
Isaiah 9.
Every valley will be lifted up
and every mountain will be made low
so that the way of the kingdom,
and it has this sense of
the paths will be straight
because they're going to be easy.
And when I first read this,
I thought,
oh, that's what this is about.
But you know,
I read this more
and I don't think that's actually what it's about.
It's about having the right path.
I don't know if you're ever a cross-country runner.
I wasn't,
but my cousin,
or my nephew was visiting this week.
He was telling me stories
about running cross-country.
And, you know,
a lot of cross-country routes
run through the woods.
You know,
he was telling me
about reading a copperhead on there.
He's from South Carolina.
It's a great adventure for him.
But when you're running through the woods,
right,
you want to stay on the path
because if you stray off the path,
how much harder is it to run?
How much more difficult is it to run?
And particularly when,
as the writer points out,
when you're already lame,
right,
he's assuming that we are all lame,
that we all have particular weaknesses
of our joints
or of our muscles
where we're struggling to keep going.
And when we make it that much harder,
when we have to fight through the underbrush
and when we can't see
the hidden pitfalls under the leaves,
when we hit those things,
what happens?
We get thrown out of joint altogether.
We dislocate.
It's the best translation of that word.
He says,
that's why you need to run straight on the path
because when you run straight on the path,
even those places where you are weak
with a straight path
heading to the right goal,
you will actually find
not greater harm
but healing.
So the writer of Hebrews
picks up these two images
about running,
about running the race
and how do we do it
leading up to verse 14
where he makes clear
what is he talking about here?
What is he getting at?
So look with me at verse 14 again.
He says,
strive for peace with everyone
and for the holiness without which
no one will see the Lord.
A couple of observations here.
The writer is saying,
do you remember?
The goal is God.
The goal is that you can have fellowship with God.
Remember the writer of Hebrews
way back in chapter 10.
Now that Christ has entered into the holy place,
now you can draw near to God.
And he has assumed
that this is a precious
and beautiful thing
that we all want,
that we want to be with God.
The writer of Hebrews says,
in order to do that,
we must strive
for peace and holiness.
The picture of striving,
it's again an evocative word
that has a picture of
like bloodhounds on the chase.
There's a single sense
and a single goal
and they're pursuing it
over and over and over again.
Or again,
like a marathon runner
who has one goal
in running the race,
to finish,
to reach the finish line,
to not give up.
And so we are to pursue
this calling
of reaching to God
and actually drawing near to Him.
And he says,
how do we do that?
How do we lift up
our drooping hands?
How do we
make straight our paths?
We do it by pursuing
peace and holiness.
Now, the writer of Hebrews
has reminded us earlier,
peace is what comes
when we are rightly related
to God.
It is a gift
that God gives us
where the wrath
against sin
that God has,
the wrath that God has
against evil in the world
and injustice
and unrighteousness
that is both
in the world out there
but also in our hearts,
the wrath
against us
is removed
because of Christ.
And so we have peace
with God.
And then that peace
then allows us
to live a life
not of struggling
and striving
against one another
but of running
together
this race.
And don't forget,
friends,
that this race
is being run
for the Hebrews,
for the audience
that he's writing to.
It's happening
in the context
of persecution.
Do you remember
chapter 10?
You suffered
these things
and you did so gladly
and with joy.
They've already seen
persecution
and it seems
that the fear
of more persecution
is on the horizon.
Let me ask you this.
When life gets
really hard,
how easy is it
to be peaceful
with those around you?
Right?
When your stress level
rises,
when fear
begins to creep
into your heart,
when doubt
about God's love
for you
and His goodness
for you
begin to control
your heart,
what do you do?
I know what I do.
I get really selfish.
My life becomes
about me
and my agendas
and my taking care
of myself.
And you know
what it always does?
It makes me short
with my kids.
It makes me difficult
with my wife.
It makes me critical
of the others around me.
It makes me hard
to work with
in the office.
It is hard
to pursue peace
in the midst
of trial.
The author
of Hebrews
is telling us
that we need
to keep going
because this peace
is something
that God has given
us in Christ.
And because
we have it
from Him,
we are able
to,
even in the midst
of trial,
pursue it.
Not only that,
he says to pursue holiness.
Now,
I have to admit,
this feels like
it comes out of the blue
in the writer,
almost.
Verse 4
of chapter 12
mentions
in your struggle
against sin,
you have not
gotten to the point
of shedding blood.
But we haven't seen
a lot in the book
of Hebrews
up to this point
about how to live
a holy life
that is a life
set apart
for God,
a life that pursues
His righteousness,
that submits
all that we are
and all that we do
to God's control
and God's instruction
and God's direction.
But again,
it made sense to me
when I started
to think of
what is it like
to run a race
when it's really hard?
And again,
when you're facing
trials,
when you're facing
immense pressures,
maybe you've experienced
what I've experienced
and that is that
the temptation
to forsake
a pursuit of holiness
is really easy.
I'm just so tired.
I don't have the energy
to do the right thing.
Or sometimes it's
I feel so beat up.
Can't I just get something
to make my life
a little easier?
A little snack
from the fridge?
A little click
on the link?
A little bit
of juicy gossip
dropped in a phone conversation?
A little cutting corners?
My taxes?
Whatever it is.
All these little things
that just alleviate
our pressure
a little bit
or give us
this little moment
of joy?
But that's not holiness,
is it?
And when we're tired,
it's hard
to pursue holiness.
But friends,
the writer of Hebrews
wants us to remember.
Chapter 10,
we'll look at us.
Go back and look at it
again sometime.
Chapter 10,
verse 10 and 14.
Christ has cleansed
our consciences.
He has purified
our hearts
so that we are able
to pursue
righteousness.
So that we are able
to pursue holiness
rightly.
Friends,
this is the challenge
that Prince George
will face
as he grows up.
Will he stay
on the track
of living out
of who he is?
Friends,
that's how holiness
is.
Holiness is saying,
I'm a child of God.
I have been brought
into his kingdom.
I have been named
an heir
of the kingdom
of God.
I'm a member
of his family.
Now I need
to live like it.
And just like
Prince George,
it will make us
different
from the world
around us.
it will mean
we will not
do things
that the world
will do.
It will mean
we will do things
that others
will seem
to think
is crazy
or odd.
But as we
pursue this,
it is this
that perpetuates
our
drawing near
to God.
Our holiness
is a part
of our
drawing near
to God
as our
Heavenly Father
who loves us.
As we allow
him to instruct
and shape
our lives.
So this is
how we're
to run
the race.
To not
give up
the foot
of Heartbreak
Hill,
but to
strengthen
our limbs
by seeing
God.
And knowing
that the goal
is worth it.
And making
the path
straight.
And pursuing
peace
and holiness.
This is
what the
writer of
the Hebrews
encourages
us to
do.
Friends,
it's easy
for us
to grow
weary.
It's easy
for us
to want
comfort and
ease in
the moment
rather than
the finish
line and
the goal
that's set
before us.
God wants
us to run
with form.
God-shaped
form.
Godliness
shaped form.
As we
run before
it.
We have
to forsake
the selfishness
that so
easily creeps
in in the
face of
trial and
temptation.
What does
this look
like?
I was
thinking
through some
of the
great Christian
biographies
that I
love to
read.
Helen
was a
missionary
to Africa
in the
middle of
the 20th
century.
She was a
missionary
through the
transition from
the colonial
period and
suffered
deeply
for her
commitment to
stay with
her church
and with
her ministry
as the
battle line
swept over
their location
again and
again.
She, in
fact, in
the face of
great pressure,
did one of
the most
remarkable
things, one
of the most
remarkable ways
of pursuing
peace with
others.
she gave
herself in
place of
some young
Catholic
nuns who
were about
to be
assaulted by
the rebel
soldiers as
they swept
through.
She saw
in that
moment an
opportunity
not to
turn inward
on herself
and just
try to
protect
herself
through it,
but to
actually give
herself for
the sake
of others.
She ran
the race
at a
great cost
to herself
and suffered
deeply for
it, and
yet, as
she wrote
about it
in hindsight,
she said,
God gave
me this
privilege to
be his
daughter in
that moment,
to have a
fellowship with
my Lord
that could
not come
if I had
turned away
from it,
you all
probably know
the story
of Eric
Little,
the English
runner in
the beginning
of the 20th
century,
1922 Olympics,
he said that
he would not
run on
Sabbath by
conviction.
The
preliminaries
for his
favored race
was that
day,
but he
lived as
his son
set apart.
it's a
great movie,
Chariots of
Fire,
if you want
to see his
story, and I
think him
fairly well
represented in
it.
He did not
live to please
anyone, he
did not live to
please himself,
he lived to
please God,
no matter what
the cost.
He didn't run
in his favorite
race.
He never
medaled in
it.
He had other
successes, God
chose to bless
him with that.
But as he ran
the race, he
could see the
goal in front
of him, and it
wasn't a gold
medal at the
Olympics, and it
wasn't world
fame, and it
wasn't success at
the thing that he
had invested
everything in.
it was that he
would be faithful
to his God.
Having looked
at then the
path to run,
the writer of
Hebrews goes on
to point out
pitfalls for us
to avoid.
Look with me at
verses 15 through
17.
One of the
things that's
important to see
is this whole
passage has
plural
nouns.
It's really
hard in our
English, you
know this, to
see you.
You in English
is both singular
and plural.
It's easy to
think of a lone
runner running
this race, but
in fact, all of
the you's in
this passage are
plural.
And so he's not
speaking to an
individual per se,
but he's speaking
to a community
saying, run this
race that's set
before you, and
here we see, see
to it that you
don't fall into
these pitfalls
before you.
See to it not
just by watching
your own life, but
by encouraging and
strengthening and
even challenging
one another to run
the race.
So he says, see to
it that you don't
fall into these
things.
And I think there's
a progression in
these pitfalls.
The first one is
don't fall short
of the grace of
God.
That is, don't
fall short of
attaining or taking
hold of or living
in or depending
upon the grace of
God that God has
shown you in
Christ.
What is this?
Well, if you've
been here for the
whole year, then you
know, because it's
what the writer of
Hebrews wrote about
for chapters and
chapters and
chapters.
But if you're new
here, let me try to
summarize the
richness of this
book.
God in Christ has
done the amazing
work of removing
the stain of our
sin by offering
his son, Jesus
Christ, to take
that sin and the
penalty for it and
the stain of it
upon himself, dying
on the cross in
our place so that
we might not bear
the reproach and
the judgment and
the wrath of God
against that sin,
but rather we
might know that we
are able to draw
near to God as
sons and daughters
of the King because
of what Christ has
done.
This is the grace
of God.
There is nothing
that you can do to
make yourself
acceptable to God,
but God has done
everything that is
necessary in
Christ, and you
are called simply
to receive this by
faith and believe
it.
And friends, as the
Hebrew church knew
and as we know,
it can be hard to
keep going in that
grace, to keep
clinging to that
grace and that
truth alone.
Our hearts are so
bent to want to do
it on our own, and
then as we see when
life gets really
hard, we want to
give up.
And so he warns
us, don't let go
of that.
Don't lose sight of
what God has done
for you in Christ.
When you lose sight
of that, you've
begun to wander from
the path.
And then, the next
thing that he says
is the next step.
See to it that a
root of bitterness
doesn't grow up in
your heart.
See, friends, when
we lose sight of
God's goodness to us
in Christ, the
objective work that
God has done for us
for all time, then
when we face trials,
it's really easy for
self-pity to rise in
our hearts.
It's really easy to
think, God, why are
you doing this to me?
I don't deserve this.
God, this is too
hard.
I can't do this.
And a root of
bitterness begins to
grow up in our
hearts.
We become bitter
towards God.
God, why couldn't
you make this easier?
God, why couldn't
you take this away?
God, why can't you
give me the thing
that I really, really
want?
And bitterness
takes root in our
heart.
And we can come to
church for years
and live with this
root of bitterness
in our heart.
And in it, as it
says in verse 15,
it causes trouble.
Because when we have
lost sight of the
grace of God and when
bitterness and this
questioning and this
doubting rises up in
our hearts, it begins
to then affect how we
serve in the church, how
we have fellowship with
one another.
Suddenly, God is not a
delightful one that we
come to worship every
Sunday.
We come and we do it
out of duty or out of
habit.
Our fellowship with one
another becomes weak.
Because we can't exhort
one another, God is
faithful.
God has taken hold of
you.
God will take care of
you.
Which is what all the
book of Hebrews has been
about.
When the root of
bitterness takes hold,
we can't do that to one
another.
And so not only is your
life impoverished, but
those around you lack the
encouragement that they
need.
And so we resent the
calling to holiness.
We resent the desire to
pursue peace in our hearts.
And this leads us then to the
third thing.
Don't be sexually immoral or
irreligious.
Do you remember Esau?
What did Esau do?
Go back and look at the story
after church this morning.
In Genesis 25, Esau was the
older son, the one who had the
birthright of being the son of
Isaac, which meant that he was
the son of the promise, Abraham,
Isaac, and it should have been
Esau in the normal course of
human relationships.
He had that place because he was
first born.
And he came home one day and he
was hungry and he was tired.
And he looked at his brother who
was a farmer and he said, can I
have some of your stew?
Your lentil stew because you're
not a hunter.
So it's vegetarian.
And Jacob, seeing the
opportunity, said, sell me your
birthright.
Well, that's kind of shocking.
But even more shocking is Esau's
response.
Well, without your soup, I'm going
to die.
So what does it matter?
Sure.
It's basically what he says.
He says, I'm so hungry and tired,
I'm going to die.
My birthright is worth nothing.
He despises it.
He treats it as cheap.
And he gives it away.
He didn't see or he had lost
sight of how his birthright was
connected to the promise to
Abraham that God would bless him
and his descendants and make his
family great and make it a
blessing to the whole world.
Now, interestingly,
in Genesis,
Moses reminds us of that.
Chapter 26, right after this
account, God comes to Isaac and
reaffirms the covenant to him,
reminding us of the foolishness
of Esau.
He traded something
eternal,
something of immeasurable value,
the promise and favor of God
for a fleeting pleasure,
for a bowl of soup.
He lost sight of God.
How easy it is,
particularly when we are facing
trial,
when we are facing persecution,
when it's costly to continue to
run the race.
When we lose sight of God's grace
for us in Christ,
when we begin to doubt and question
God's goodness to us,
at that moment,
friends, do not deceive yourself.
You are on the edge of exactly
where Esau was.
It is so easy at that moment
to sell your birthright
for a pot of soup.
It is so easy to give up
running the race,
pursuing peace and holiness
for a momentary pleasure.
It might be the pleasure of
blowing up at your kids
and yelling at them
because they've done it again
and it just kind of drives you crazy.
And when you lose sight
of the grace of God,
you take it out on them in anger.
The writer of Hebrews is explicit here
and he'll pick this up
in chapter 13.
But how easily
the power of sexual pleasure
can grip us
in those moments of weakness.
Whether it be
late night internet pornography,
whether it be
a late night
hanging out with your girlfriend
that begins to slip far beyond,
whether it be
the dalliance of
that co-worker
across the hall
who just seems to be
really interested in you.
How easily our hearts
wander
from the path of holiness
and the area
of sexual morality.
How easily we forsake
faithfulness to God,
a pursuit of purity
for a moment of pleasure.
And friends,
we're never thinking about it
as selling our birthright
as children of God
when we do it.
Rarely.
Rarely are we thinking about it
when we do it.
But the writer of Hebrews
wants us to remember that
and to see that.
Often it's a little thing.
At times it's a big thing.
It's a big decision.
You've just had it.
You've had it with God.
You've had it with how hard
your life is
and you just are ready
to chuck the whole thing.
I'm going to go find
something else to do.
Eat, drink, and be merry
for tomorrow we die.
That actually sounds
really good to me today.
Why would I want
to pursue God
if I've lost sight
of His grace
and if I'm doubting
His love?
It's not very valuable
to us anymore.
And it's easy.
It's easy to say
I'm just going to pursue
this affair.
I'm going to embezzle
the money.
I'm going to beat
the heck out of this guy
who I don't like.
Whatever it is
we just lose it.
And there's a warning.
Verse 17 reminds us
of the warning
that we've seen
throughout Hebrews.
There's a warning
that when we have
walked down this road,
when we have put
our feet in the steps
of these pitfalls,
rather than making
our paths straight,
our hearts are hardened.
Look at it with me
because I want you
to make sure
you get it right.
For you know
that afterwards
when Esau desired
to inherit the blessing,
which is separate
from the birthright,
you look at the story,
he wanted,
he had given up
the birthright,
but he went,
he wanted the blessing
from his father.
Jacob snuck in
and stole that too.
And so he couldn't
get either of it.
So he was rejected
and he found no chance
to repent,
though he sought it
with tears.
Friends, he didn't seek
repentance with tears.
It's not that he couldn't
repent in that moment.
It's that he sought
the blessing
and he couldn't repent
because his heart
was so fixated
not on pleasing God,
not on the promises
of God,
but on the momentary
value of the blessing
from his father.
And he couldn't
turn away from that
because he had set
his heart on it
for so long.
Friends,
when we walk
in these pitfalls,
we need to recognize
that we are hardening
our heart
against the truth
of the gospel.
people.
But the good news,
friends,
is that this is in here
not because you are
a lost cause.
If you're feeling
that right now,
let me state
very clearly,
you are not
a lost cause
because it's in here
as a warning to you
so that you
can turn back today.
So that you can say,
I don't want to walk
in those pitfalls anymore.
I want to run
the race again.
And for all of us
this morning,
the question is,
how do we do that?
Having looked at the path
and the pitfalls then,
what is God's provision
for us?
If it was just
running a marathon,
the coach would be,
try harder,
do more,
train better,
focus your mind,
you can do this,
strive,
strive.
But friends,
the beauty of the
Christian life
is that we are
meant to strive
and we are meant
to strive
and we are meant
to discipline ourselves
and we are meant
to be careful
and we are meant
to be focused.
But we are meant
to do that
not as the achievement
of these things,
but as the result
of what God
has done
for us.
the key
is all the way
back in chapter 12,
verse 2.
We are to look
to Jesus.
We must look
to Him.
Verse 3,
we are to consider
Him.
Why?
Well,
friends,
because
Esau sold
his birthright
for an easy meal.
But Jesus,
Jesus had a birthright
of greater glory,
of greater value.
And you know what?
He didn't abandon it
even when it meant
that He would go
to the cross.
Jesus is the Son of God
and in His calling
as the Son of God,
He was going
to walk
the path
of condemnation
for sinners
like you and me.
He embraced
that path
and said,
not my will,
but your will
be done.
And rather than
selling His birthright,
He embraced it
at the cost
of His very own life.
Esau said,
what worth
is my birthright,
I'm going to die.
Jesus said,
my birthright means
I am going to die
and I'm going to embrace that.
I'm going to make it mine.
And He walked that path
and He ran that race
for us
to win us back,
to rescue us.
Jesus has run the race
ahead of us.
so that
we might know
God.
So that we might
be adopted
into His family
as sons and daughters.
So that we might
inherit with Him
this birthright
of being children
of God
and drawing near to Him
as a loving
Heavenly Father
who in the midst
of the fiercest trials
and the deepest
persecutions
is showing
His Father love
for us.
Training us
to live
as His children
in this world
as we look ahead
to the finish line.
The finish line
when we will know
the well done,
good,
and faithful servant.
When we will know
the embrace
of the Father
in heaven.
When all of our
striving against sin
will be done
when all the powers
that stand against God
will be overcome.
That's the finish line
that we're looking
forward to.
Jesus ran that race.
Hebrews 5.8
reminds us of this.
He learned obedience
through suffering.
Not because He was imperfect,
but because in His perfection
as He suffered
He affirmed
over and over
and over again
that He would be
the obedient Son
who would not forsake
His birthright for us.
And this is what
the Hebrews,
the writer of the Hebrews
wants us to hear.
Brothers,
sisters,
don't give up
your birthright.
Don't lose heart.
No matter how hard it is,
Christ has run
the race before you.
He has shown you
the way
to keep going.
He is teaching us
to run.
And yes,
it involves
the discipline
of pursuing holiness,
of being set apart,
of allowing
God's Word
to shape
everything we do
and how we think
and what we value.
It is pursuing
peace
first with God
and then with one another
at great cost
to ourselves,
pursuing reconciliation
and unity
through service
and sacrifice.
But friends,
we pursue this
because we can look
to Jesus,
because He is not only
the author
but the perfecter
of our faith,
because He has run
the race before us
and He is bringing
us with Him
into this glory
that He has achieved.
Don't give up,
friends.
Don't give up.
Press on
to run the race.
Let's pray.
Jesus,
we look to You.
Lord,
will You capture
our hearts
this morning.
Lord,
with the greatness
of Your grace
to us in Christ,
will You affirm
again to our hearts
the goodness
in the midst
of trial,
in the midst
of persecution,
in the midst
of suffering.
Lord,
that You love us,
that You are
training us,
Lord,
to trust in You,
to value You
and Your kingdom
above all other things.
Lord,
to wean out
our selfishness
and our self-pity.
Lord,
so that we might
truly live
as Your sons
and daughters.
For Your glory,
we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.