Hebrews 12:1-11 / Endurance

Amen. If you have your Bibles, Hebrews 12 is where we will be eventually. If you look at the history of the people of God, you’ll see they have always lived in the midst of turmoil. Whether it was the nation of Israel under persecution by surrounding nations, or the early church under the shadow of Rome, there was always this ominous sense of turmoil surrounding them. And yet, what is fascinating is that the church tended to thrive in times when life was most difficult.

In the first century, when the persecution began, the early church was tolerated at first as this cute little sect called “The Way.” But then, all of a sudden, it began to take root. It became a movement. It was no longer just a couple of misfit Galilean fishermen; it began to infiltrate and influence Roman society, which made the authorities very, very nervous. The Caesars were some of the most egotistical, self-centered, and power-hungry men you could find, men who would literally kill anyone who opposed them. King Herod killed even his own wife for fear that she would somehow usurp his throne. So, when Christianity began to talk about the worship of this “King of the Jews,” Herod was so terrified that he had babies massacred en masse.

You might look at that and say, “Oh, that must have been hard for Christians.” No. It actually was fantastic for the church. The harder the persecution, the more galvanized their faith became, the more legitimate their faith felt, and the more influential they really became. It wasn’t really until Constantine came in the early fourth century and legalized Christianity that things changed. He took the pressure off, and Christianity became cultural. You were a Christian because you were Roman. In some ways, that was the worst thing that ever happened to Christianity.

The Chaos of Our Current Moment

What is fascinating to me about the movement of the people of God is that it tended to thrive in chaos. The worse the times, the more the people of God seemed to show up—at least some of them. But we also find that when persecution came, there were many who found the pressure a little too difficult. They found the persecution a little too much, the heat a little too hot, and they began to drift. Their focus shifted from the things of God to the things of this world. Their jobs became not just important things, but ultimate things. Their safety, security, prosperity, and affluence became the focal points, and the things of God were moved to the back burner.

They would have still told you they were Christians, but they didn’t live like it. They were Christians by name, but their actions said something completely different. I can’t help but hear that and think, “Boy, that sounds familiar.” We live today in a crazy world. Would you agree? Just read the news. I was reflecting on this past year and all that took place, thinking to myself, “This is nuts.”

We are living through economic crises. Unemployment is ridiculous, especially here in the Central Valley. We just fell off a proverbial fiscal cliff, and while they’ve kicked the can down the road, we’re going to see this fight again in a month or two. We have over $16.4 trillion in deficit right now. I didn’t even know “trillion” was a real number; we’re just making up numbers now. We have looming inflation, and we wonder what that means for the next generation.

I was just at Disneyland with my kids, which, by the way, was one of the most memorable and expensive things I’ve ever done in my life. I had this funny experience at the hotel trying to buy a breakfast burrito because you don’t want to eat in the park—they’ll rob you blind. I saw a guy there who had clearly been doing the same insanity I’d been doing. He opened his wallet to pay, and he had that peculiar look on his face, like, “Where did it all go?” I thought, “Buddy, I know exactly how you feel.”

Spending time with my kids, I wonder what they are going to experience in the next generation. We see senseless violence in Chicago, Newtown, Aurora, and Fresno. We see complete unrest in the world—overthrows in Libya, revolutions in Egypt, tens of thousands killed in Syria, and ongoing wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Drug cartels in Mexico are a threat right on our doorstep. This is the world we live in. It is chaos.

A Fork in the Road

You begin to wonder in these tumultuous times, “Where is God in all of this? What are we supposed to do?” Every January, I do a little inventory and ask, “How did I do?” Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad. Then I look at the new year and ask, “What’s going to be different?” How will the people of God show up?

We stand at a proverbial fork in the road. Christianity has stood here many times before, and the people of God individually have had to answer a question: “How important are the things of God in my life, and can I prove it?” We’d all say it’s important, but if serving God is really the most important thing, it should show itself. Historically, some people come to this fork, see what it costs to follow God, and say, “I don’t know if it’s worth it. Maybe I can just claim to be a Christian and throw down a second or third margarita. Is it really a big deal? Maybe I can claim to be a Christian but live with my girlfriend. Maybe I can claim to be a Christian but cheat on my taxes just a little bit.”

We need to decide what history will say of this generation of Christians. When life got chaotic, did they show up and walk with God as light in a dark place? Or did they look so familiar to the world that we lost notice of them? Will we be a people who hold to the Word of God and say, “Thus saith the Lord”? When persecution arose in the early church, they showed up. We need to be like them, not allowing the things of this world to dominate our lives, but instead living distinctly. You have a choice to make. What kind of Christian will you be?

The Cloud of Witnesses

Is there anything in the Word of God that speaks to a Christian who is being influenced by the world and has that same choice to make? I say to you, yes. In Hebrews chapter 12, the author is writing to a group of believers trying to figure out how to do life in chaos. How do they live by faith when the world has rejected it? How do they live distinctly in a culture that has set aside the things of God to embrace the progress of Rome?

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NASB)

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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

This passage starts with the word “therefore.” Anytime you see that in Bible study, you have to stop and look at the previous context. You have to ask, “What happened in chapter 11?” Everyone needs a hero. We’ve all got them. Whether it’s singing, golf, or basketball, there are always heroes who “call you up” to a higher standard. Does Christianity have those? Yes.

Hebrews 11 is commonly called the “Hall of Faith.” It’s the Hall of Fame for the people of God. These are the men and women who walked before us and said, “Though the world is chaos, I’ll walk with God. Though life is a mess, I’ll walk with God. Though the heat is cranked up, I’ll walk with God.” It includes names like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, David, and Samuel. These names evoke something in us. Noah built a boat when it had never rained. David was a junior high kid standing in front of a nine-foot giant with a slingshot. That is faith.

The author says that because of these people, we are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses.” Our faith is not just about you and me; it’s bigger than us. We are connected to the martyrs and the men and women who, for centuries, laid their lives down and poured their guts out for the Lord. The word “witness” here is martus, where we get the word “martyr.” These are people who authenticate truth. They didn’t just claim the title; they lived it.

I am a Bell. That is my name and the legacy I carry. I have two little girls who carry that name. It means we stand for something; we represent something. Your name is “Christian.” What heritage comes with that? When you say, “I’m a Christian,” it means you are connected to something bigger than you. Because of that, how should you live?

Laying Aside the Weight

First, he says we should lay aside every weight, or every encumbrance. Have you ever tried to run with a backpack on? It’s clumsy. Have you ever tried to run after a Christmas binge when you’ve put on ten pounds just by looking at the peach cobbler? We are told to lay aside everything that distracts, hinders, or holds us down.

In our world, these weights are often preoccupations with things that don’t really matter—an obsession with news channels, or fantasy football, or things that aren’t necessarily catastrophic, but over time, they just weigh you down. We are also told to lay aside the sin which “clings so closely” or “easily entangles.” Sin is usually subtle. It’s a small compromise, like the proverbial frog in the kettle.

Notice the specificity here: “the” sin. This isn’t just general sin; it’s a specific issue. In the context of chapter 11, where “by faith” is repeated 19 times, the sin they were struggling with was likely the sin of disbelief. It’s the lack of faith that says God is only God on the mountaintop, but not in the valley. The author is dealing with Christians who had grown distracted. Their faith was casual, flippant, and convenient, but it wasn’t born of conviction. They weren’t waking up saying, “I am a Christian, therefore this is how I live.” They were just waking up, grabbing a triple-shot mochaccino, and rushing through life.

I’m in ministry, and even for me, days can click by where I realize I haven’t had a heart for God. I can’t imagine how hard it is for those of you in the business world, fighting for commissions or banging away at a retail job, to stay focused on the Lord. That is why the author says, “Let us run.”

Running the Agony

He says, “Let us run with endurance the race set before us.” The Christian life is a street fight, and it is long. Some of you might decide that 2013 is the year you finally knock out a besetting sin. I hope you can, but chances are you’ll have to keep fighting it, because this is a race of endurance.

We’ve all seen the sprinter who tries to run a distance race. He shoots off for 200 yards, beating everyone, and then he just blows himself up. I’ve seen Christians do that. They come to faith, they’re on fire, they have the bumper stickers and the tattoos, and six months later you see them at a yard house throwing down beers. They just popped. They didn’t have endurance.

If you are here as a non-believer thinking the Christian life is easy, find another religion. The Christian life is hard. It makes you face your sin and deal with who you are apart from Jesus. But it is a fantastic journey. We have to run the race set before us. You can’t run my race, and I can’t run yours. The word for “race” is agon, from which we get “agony.” We are called to run the agony laid before us. When Christ bids us come, He bids us come and die. The Gospel isn’t just puppy dogs and unicorns. We live as aliens and strangers with targets on our chests. It is agonizing and awesome all at the same time.

Fixing Our Eyes

A competitive runner doesn’t look around at the crowd or stop for pictures. They fix their gaze on the finish line. In our race, we focus our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. He is the focal point. We don’t focus on each other; this isn’t a competition to be better than the person in the next pew. We focus on Him.

Here is the awkward thing: the more you focus on Jesus, the more you realize you don’t look like Him. But that’s where the fun begins. He begins to change us. Years ago, Michelangelo was asked how he carved the statue of David. He said, “It’s easy. You just chip away the stone that doesn’t look like David.” Romans 8 tells us that we are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. As you fix your eyes on Jesus, He will make you more like Him, one stone chip at a time. He’ll identify something and say, “This isn’t like Jesus. Let’s deal with that.”

So, as we enter a new year, the question isn’t just “What are you going to do?” because we can all make to-do lists. The question is: “Who are you going to become?”

Are you going to become more like Jesus? What in your life doesn’t look like Christ, and are you willing to chip away at it? What in your heart needs to change? What in your mind needs to be made new through the Word? What about your generosity, your discernment, or your relationships? I pray your focal point isn’t just being a “better you,” but being more like Him.

Do Not Lose Heart

The answer to Christian complacency is focusing on Him. The answer to being weary, or being depressed by the news, or watching houses in your neighborhood go back to the bank, is looking to Him. We look to Him so that we will not grow weary and so that we will not lose heart.

My hope for you in 2013 is that you recognize you have a race to run and that you are part of a heritage much bigger than yourself. I hope you see the men and women who have gone before you and that they “call you up” to live differently. You will need endurance. It will be a long, sometimes painful run, but it is worth every step. If you focus on Him, you will not grow weary.

For many, the allure of the world has been so seductive that days, weeks, and months click by with no thought of God. We’ve all been there. But this year could be different as we fix our eyes on Him. Let’s pray.

Father, as we are challenged by this passage calling us to live for You, I pray that You would be honored by our response. May we be men and women who run with endurance the race You have for us. Thank You for the privilege of being among so great a cloud of witnesses. As we bear the name “Christian” together, may we profess it not just with our mouths, but by the incarnation of our lives. We fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Amen.