THE BIG RACE
HEBREWS TWELVE
Sermon of the Week #200928 for August 2, 2009
Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
That cloud of witnesses in Hebrews eleven of by gone days testify of their faithfulness as an example for us as today as we remember the faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, and a host of others such as David who slew Goliath, a giant over nine feet tall. Aside from his bravery, one may wonder how many hundreds of times he had developed accuracy with the sling until he made that one great shot. David must have been like those 700 left handed men of Benjamin who could sling a stone at a hair breath and not miss. Is that not encouragement to us to spend much time in each Bible school lesson, or sermon in preparation to do battle with our giant.
Another witness is the witness of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who by faith quenched the power of fire in the fiery furnace. While there is no preparation in any fiery furnace today that we can use for practice, their faithfulness is a testimony of loyalty even unto death.
And then there were some who by faith stopped the mouth of lions such as the prophet Daniel in the Lions Den. What an example is the witness of Daniel when we consider 1st Peter 5:8 “Be sober be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. We have our Lions Dens today where the Roaring lion seeks to devour us, in the den of division, devilishness, and disease.
However all the witnesses of Hebrews eleven pale into insignificance before the greatest witness of all. The apostles said in 1st Peter 2:21 “Knowing that we have been redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver and gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers, but with precious blood as of a lamb, without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ: who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, and was manifested at the end of the times for your sake, who through him are believers in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope should be in God.
So let us run with patience the race that is set before us, because the Christian life is a race. It is a greater race than the Kentucky Derby, a greater race than the Indianapolis 500, or any of the races ever run in the Olympic Games. The winner of the Christian race will not be called upon to perjure him or herself for a price and endorse a cereal that he or she may never eat.
Furthermore the Christian race is a marathon and not a forty-yard dash. Paul encourages us in 2nd Timothy 4:7 I have a good fight I have finished the course I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, and not only for me but for all who have loved his appearing.
I have seen many a person confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God, get immersed with the words for the remission of sins’ pronounced over them and within a few weeks gone. The Christian life is a race that begins when you rise from the waters of baptism and goes on until you cross the finish line at the Second Coming of Jesus or when the coroner pronounces you dead. Years ago I visited an elderly couple feeble with age and the husband met me in the yard and informed me that he and his wife were in a race to see which one of them could get to heaven first. I have forgotten which one came in first it was matter of days after I had the funeral of one that I had the funeral of the other. It was almost a dead heat.
Their contest reminds us of what Paul said in Philippians 3:13 “Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the tings that are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. And as we press on, Paul give this further word of advice to that old couple as well as ourselves, in 1st Corinthians 9: I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I as not beating the air; but I buffet my body. And bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. Paul was not shadow boxing as one that is beating the air; he was slugging it out with his body trying for a knockout. The words of Jesus apply to our every day life: “The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.”
Anyway you look at it you are in it for the duration, so run with patience the race that is set before you for he that endureth unto the end the same shall be saved.
The Christian race is a race that requires discipline, more discipline than any athlete training for the Olympics. Paul says they run for a corruptible crown that passeth away, but we run for an incorruptible crown. The olive wreath for victory withered, and even the gold medal is not forever. One notable athlete won a gold medal in the Olympics came home and threw it in the river. In Philippians three Paul said, “But one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” When he was about ready to face the headsman’s sword he said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. Hence forth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord that righteous Judge shall give to me and not to me only but for all those who have loved His appearing.”
The apostles tells us in 1st Peter 1:13: “Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, be sober and set your self perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” And in Revelation 3:11 the Lord himself advises the Church at Philadelphia: “I come quickly: Hold fast that which thou has that no one take thy crown.” The devil can snatch your crown either by false doctrine on an unfaithful life style.
So lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us. The ancient Greeks use to train by wearing weights on their shoes for training, but when they ran in the race they let go with everything that could slow them down. If I were an artist I would paint a picture of the average church member on the mark of the beginning of a marathon. He is wearing an overcoat, hip boots, carrying a fishing pole, a set of golf clubs, a bowling ball, and two bags of luggage. Much of this baggage is good stuff, but becomes sin because it may slow us down in our spiritual activity.
In running a marathon in the physical sense a runner giving it all he may have will be exhausted at the end of the race. In the spiritual race the harder you run the stronger you get. So lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset you. Each victory over temptation makes you stronger for the next. So run, run, run, the race that is set before you.
The greatest inspiration in running the race is looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Those are the three of areas of victories of Jesus over sin and death: the cross, despising the shame, and then he sat down on the right hand of the throne of God.
ENDURING THE CROSS
The first one is victory enduring the cross. Matthew 27:35 says it in six English words about the crucifixion of Jesus. “And when they had crucified him. . .” Books have been written about the crucifixion that would fill many shelves in the library; movies have been made that last several hours depicting the suffering of Jesus in crucifixion. One preacher displayed several rusty spikes in his sermon to emphasis and tell the horror of crucifixion. Sometimes thorny crowns, with three-inch thorns have been displayed. While we may appreciate the efforts in helping to understand the Lord’s sacrifice, Matthew told of the actual act of crucifixion in six words: “And when they had crucified him. . .” Perhaps Matthew was so stingy with his words because there are no words that can adequately describe the real suffering of Jesus in the crucifixion.
The suffering of the cross could have been somewhat eased when the soldiers offered him wine mingles with gall, but Jesus refused to drink their liquid fire, He would suffer for our sins without any thing that could deaden the pain. He would drink the cup the Father had given Him to the full.
The suffering of the cross could also be noticed when there were crucified with him two thieves, one of the right side and the other on the left. This made Jesus look like the worst of the three. Jesus had a police record in Jerusalem. His name was written on the record as an executed criminal, so that we might have our names written on the Lamb’s book of life.
He did not die between two apostles, but between two thieves. Had He died between two apostles, there are some today who would ascribe their salvation to them as well as the Lord. The suffering of our Lord on the cross for our sins cannot be shared by anyone. Christ died for our sins, He and no one else.
From the sixth hour to the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. It was in that darkness that even the Father withdrew and Jesus suffered alone in darkness. “My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me?” It is a good question that is asked in a song: “Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” Jesus endured the cross and then the second victory was despising the shame.
DESPISING THE SHAME
Notice first of all in Matthew 26:62 of all the reaction of the chief priests when Caiphas put Him under oath, and said, “I adjure thee by the living God that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said unto him, “Thou hast said: Nevertheless I say unto you ye shall see the heavens opened and the Son of man seated at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest rent his garments, saying, “He hath spoken blasphemy: what further need have of we with witnesses? Behold now ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye?” They answered him, “He is worthy of death.” Then did they spit in His face, and blind fold Him and buffet Him with their hands saying, “Prophesy unto us thou Christ who is he that struck thee?” The only reaction of Jesus to the spit streaming down His face was despising the shame.
Then look at the shame Jesus endured beginning in Matthew 27:27 “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto Him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe.” In addition to the shame of nakedness before the whole band of soldiers, there was the insolence of the scarlet robe.
In Revelation 17:3 John said: "And I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations even the unclean things of her fornications." Jesus wore that scarlet robe with all of its implications so that the prophecy of Isaiah 1:18 could come true for us. “Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool.”
Then again when Jesus was crucified they took His garments and made four parts to every soldier a part. Jesus was crucified stark naked, and hung there six hours before a multitude of persons who sat and watched him there. Truly He despised the shame when He endured the cross. Then the third victory over sin and death was sitting down at the right hand of the throne of God.
SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF GOD
After Jesus sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, we need to notice that one of the first things He did, was to write a letter to the church at Laodicea, Revelation 3:21 “He that overcometh, I will give to sit down with Me in My throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with My Father in His throne.”
That promise itself should give us pause, as we remember the words of Hebrews chapter four: ”Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one who hath been tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need.”
But it must be remembered that the victorious Christ will sit on another throne. Matthew 25:31 faithfully records the words of Jesus when he said; “But when the Son of man shall come in His glory and all the angels with Him, then shall He sit on the throne of His glory: And before Him shall be gathered all the nations: and He shall separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” And then in Revelation 20:11: “And I saw a great white throne and Him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away; and there was found no room for them.”
Both of the judgment scenes are about the same event, because they both have the same ending. Matthew says: "And these shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." In Revelation John records: And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.” And that is the finish line of the big race.
