Keep On Running

Read

Hebrews 12:1-3 "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."

Think

Years ago, I got a phone call from a man who worked for the Houston Tenneco Marathon. He asked me if I would come and bring a message to the marathon runners before the race. I said, "No problem. I would love to do that." Then he added one thing: "I do not just want you to preach to the runners. I want you to run the marathon." I said, "You are talking about 26.2 miles. I am not a runner." He said, "Do not worry. I will train you. I will give you the strategy. It will be easy." I should have hung up the phone.

But I agreed. He gave me a training schedule and the day before the race he walked me through the strategy. "Start slow. Your adrenaline will be pumping and you will want to sprint out of the gate. Do not do it. Get in a pace and stay there. Drink water at every station. Do not drift right or left because that wastes energy. Do not talk. Keep your eyes straight ahead. And just keep on running."

So I ran. And along the way, I saw people being loaded into ambulances. Blisters, cramps, tears, people literally falling over on the side of the road. Their strategy did not work. Mine did. I kept my head down, drank the water, and stayed in my lane. And when I finally dragged myself across the finish line, Lisa was there, some friends were there, and I was feeling pretty good about myself. Until they told me that a young woman pushing a baby stroller with a three-year-old in it had finished five minutes before I did. That took the wind right out of my sails.

This week, we have looked at six people from Hebrews 11: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, and Joseph. Six people who faced crushing pressure and chose faith. Six people who refused to quit even when the cost was staggering. And now the writer of Hebrews pulls the camera back for the widest shot in the book.

Hebrews 12:1 opens with one of the most powerful images in all of Scripture: "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." Picture a massive stadium. Every seat filled. And in those seats are the men and women of faith who have run before you. Noah is there. Abraham is there. Moses and Rahab and Gideon and Joseph. They are in the stands, and they are watching you run.

I remember years ago being in Korea on a mission trip with four professional baseball players. We ended up at the demilitarized zone, talking to Marines. These Marines challenged us to a softball game. Four pro athletes and me against their all-star team. The pro players told me I was leading off. I stepped up to the plate terrified. But I looked back and saw those four guys behind me, their intensity, their expectation. And I do not know if it was fear or adrenaline, but I fed off their energy. I cracked the first pitch. I played out of my mind that day because I was not playing alone. I was surrounded by people who were better than me, stronger than me, and their presence lifted me.

That is what the cloud of witnesses does. When you feel like quitting your marriage, Abraham is in the stands saying, "Take the step of faith." When you feel like the giant in front of you is too big, David is saying, "It is God's battle." When you feel like you are in the lion's den and there is no way out, Daniel is saying, "God will take you through." When you think your past disqualifies you, Rahab is saying, "I was a prostitute in Jericho and I am in the lineage of Jesus." When you feel small and inadequate, Gideon is saying, "Three hundred men and some clay pots." When you have been forgotten and overlooked, Joseph is saying, "Just wait. God remembers."

But the crowd is not the point. The runner is not even the point. Verse 2 lands the plane: "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." All six of those Hebrews 11 heroes were looking ahead to something they could not fully see. Jesus is what they were looking at. He is the one who blazed the trail and he is the one who carries you across the finish line.

"For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame." Think about what that means. Jesus, hanging on the cross, suspended between heaven and earth, every demon screaming at him to quit. "Come down. You are God. It is not worth it." And he stayed. He endured. Because he had you on his mind. He had me on his mind. The joy set before him was us.

Verse 3 drives it home: "Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." If you are tired today, consider Jesus. If you are ready to give up, consider Jesus. If the pressure is crushing you, consider the one who bore the weight of every sin you have ever committed and chose not to come down from the cross.

That marathon in Houston taught me something I have never forgotten. The man who trained me did not say, "Run fast." He did not say, "Beat everyone else." He said, "Keep on running." That is the message of Hebrews 12. You do not need to be the fastest. You do not need to have the most impressive stride. You do not need to finish before the woman with the stroller. You just need to keep on running. Stay in your lane. Drink the water. Fix your eyes on Jesus. And keep on running.

Apply

Fix your eyes and run – This week, you have studied six men and women whose faith held under pressure. Now it is your turn. Identify the one thing that is distracting you from running your race today. Name it. Lay it down. Then turn your eyes to Jesus and take the next step. He is both the author of your faith and the one running beside you.

Pray

Jesus, you are the pioneer and the perfecter. You started this race for me and you will finish it. I am tired. I am tempted to quit. But I fix my eyes on you today, the one who endured the cross and did not come down. Surround me with your cloud of witnesses. Remind me that I am not running alone. Strip away every weight, every sin, every distraction that slows me down. I want to run with perseverance the race you have marked out for me. Not someone else's race. Mine. And when I cross the finish line, I want to hear you say it was worth it. In Jesus' name. Amen.