Hebrews 12:1-3 - Our Race
Hebrews 12:1-3 - Our Race
Today we are just going to take three verses. The opening of Hebrews chapter 12 is so rich, and I just want to sit in it a while.
“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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” - Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses...ok, who are these witnesses? Knowing this will help us move forward with these next verses. These great cloud of witnesses are those that the previous chapter points out. The saints of chapter 11, the heroes of the faith; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, and more. This passage is reminding us we are surrounded, and we are encircled, we have a cheering section that is pushing us and helping us along. And even more than cheerleaders, they modeled it, they did this very act before us and showed us how to do it, and surely if they could hold fast, then we can as well.
Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles...throughout the New Testament, and we read that the Christian life often referred to as a race. More of a running foot race, but let me personalize this for a moment and think of it as a bike race since I used to race bicycles. In my peak racing days, I would do everything possible to throw off everything that brought extra weight, anything that hinders my performance. This means everything on the bike I looked at to make as lite as possible. Anything that had weight, I would look to drop that included me. I worked as hard a humanly possible to lose weight to be as lite, and as strong as possible. This strategy worked well and produced some great years of racing at a high level. Thinking about this same strategy in our Christian lives, what do we have all around us that is causing us to be weighed down? We must be willing to shed this extra weight, get rid of any distractions that are pulling us away from running the necessary race. I am not talking about sin yet, I am talking about even good distractions that are not great. Throw off everything that hinders...this isn’t sin, this is the things that hinder us from running that race that is marked out for us. We must take inventory of the areas in our lives, the things in our world that are distractions from what God has in store for us. Shed those things, walk away from them, and purge ourselves from the distractions.
and the sin that so easily entangles...then we must do the more obvious. Get rid of the sin that is entangling us and causing us to miss the mark. So what is this sin, what is entangling us, and moving us to miss the mark? Here I could spend days talking about sin, how it impacts us, but instead, I will quote a few experts from Tricia Gates Brown, who is a writer, theologian, and in the Episcopal Diocese.
The fuller, deeper meaning of sin has to do separation or disconnection from our true identity. Sin is about not knowing who we are. Essentially, sin is a state characterized by being unconscious that we are united with God..
The Greek word translated sin (hamartia) means “to miss the mark.” But we have misunderstood this to mean falling short morally, or not being good enough. That’s a tragic misunderstanding of sin. Sin as missing the mark is actually saying: You think you are X, but look! You are actually Y. You think you are a self-guarding, separate entity journeying through your life—with no choice but to look out for Number One, but this misses the mark. The stunning fact of the matter is that you are so much more than this; you are fully a piece of God journeying through this world. The purpose of your life is to come to realize it.
Taking this perspective of sin lets process this full verse again;
“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,” - Hebrews 12:1 NIV
This brings a clear and fresh view for me of this verse. We are fully a piece of God journeying through this world. Our purpose in life is to realize it, understand who we are in Christ, and live out the unique race that is marked out for us. If we are trapped, or focused or distracted by something that is not our unique calling, then that seems to be a perfect way to move us off what God called us to be. Let us remember this;
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” - John 10:10 NIV
With this perspective, let us realize that if Satan, the thief, can get us to focus on something we are not called to be, if he can get us to question who we are in Christ, distract us from the race that God marked out for us, then boom! This is how Satan will steal and kill and destroy us.
This also gives us some perspective on I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. A full life is realizing who we are in Christ, living our life centered in and on Christ, and running our race, with perseverance! That is an abundant and full life.
“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” - Hebrews 12:2 NIV
Jesus is our model; Jesus is where we need to focus and keep our eyes on Him, and not the pain and challenges all around us. Jesus is calling us to come, to come to him, to draw near and follow him. But remember what happened to Peter. Yes, we need to celebrate that Peter stood up and requested to be called out. No other disciple took that step, but we can learn that when we take our eyes off Jesus when we are not centered on his calling, then we see what happens.
““Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”” - Matthew 14:29-30 NIV
Question. How do you see the wind? How do we see the air around us? We don’t. I am unsure why Matthew said this, but think for a moment that maybe its the unseen things that we become anxious about. The thoughts, the issues in our heads, not the actual elements going on around us, but the invisible things like the wind that are causing all this doubt. Center our eyes, hearts, and lives on Jesus, the perfected of faith!
“For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” - Hebrews 12:2 NIV
Jesus conquered death, Jesus brought us victory on the cross, destroying shame and guilt. We even read here for the joy set before him...the JOY! Wow, what a word choice. Jesus went to the cross, a horrific and brutal death, and we read here the joy set before him. Take that perspective as you read James.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” - James 1:2-3 NIV
There is nothing we will face in the world, nothing in our circumstances that will ever compare to what Jesus did, and we read for the joy set before him. We need to put our pain, our trial, our circumstances in perspective, and get a bit of a reality check. And with this reality check, we close with verse three.
“Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” - Hebrews 12:3 NIV
Again, Jesus is our model. Let’s go back to the perspective on sin. Realizing that Satan wants to take us out by distracting us, by shifting our view and vision of who we are off of the reality of who God says we are. Where in your life right now do you have a distorted view of yourself? Where are you trapped in a mindset that is not of Christ? Let us not forget The fuller, deeper meaning of sin has to do separation or disconnection from our true identity.
Father God, may we draw close to you at this moment and understand our true identity. Lord, make it clear who we are and understand the race you have marked out for us to run. Lord, whatever is distracting us, whatever may be pulling us off course, messing with our true view of ourselves, may you remove that distraction. Lord, help us endure and not grow weary. Amen.