“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 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 has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Did you know that you are in a race? I am, too; in fact, all believers in Jesus are. But this is a race unlike any other, for we are not competing against each other; rather, our job is to stay in the race and finish, and we are supposed to encourage and help our fellow-racers along the way.
The race is well-attended by a great crowd of witnesses who have run the race before us–and have won. They surround us, encouraging us, waiting for us. They know the secret: We can’t do it by trying harder, only by trusting God more.
When I was young, I loved to run. As I got older, I became self-conscious and felt clumsy. But when I forgot about myself and just headed toward my goal, there was joy in running, a euphoria, even. And it’s the same in this race. We must look to Jesus Christ, the founder and finisher of our faith. All of our power comes from Him.
Ah, but there is a wrinkle. None of us know when the race will be over. Many have run the race and crossed that finish line, but in this race, there is no clearly defined “start” and “finish” except for the start and finish of each contestant. Every day, people are constantly starting and finishing.
No one knows the day or hour of the finish except for the Great Judge of the whole world. That means that some people will still be in the process of running when the time is up.
The key thing the runners in this race must remember is never to take one minute for granted, and to keep our eyes on the goal. Jesus is our goal; He is the only One who has the authority to take us all home. So, if we don’t want to be left behind, we have to keep our eyes on Him.
The Apostle Paul uses this extended metaphor of a race to explain part of what it means to live as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. This idea is not meant to be stretched out to explain every part of the believer’s life, but to focus on a few key ideas:
1) We are not alone.
Even if your present moment feels lonely, you can know that there are others who came before you who are watching you right now, and hoping you stay true. One of the witnesses may be a Christian wife or husband who has gone on before you. It could be a parent, or a neighbor or a friend that loved Jesus and is gone now.
The angels are watching. How cool is that?
“Are they [angels] not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14)
Our fellow believers here on earth are watching us, ready to help when we need it. The Holy Spirit draws us to help each other. Our family has experienced several times when a stranger has brought help; other times, we have felt prompted to help someone, only to discover that the other person is also a believer! I bet you have had this experience, too, because it is part of God’s plan for us to help each other.
And the most important One who is watching us is the Lord Jesus Christ. He said:
“. . .lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18b-20)
2) We are all in this together.
The way of this world is to compete against each other and fight until there is only one person standing. But in God’s plan, everyone who is faithful to the Lord will win. Those caught in the world will not applaud our methods, for the standards we believers hold are completely different. Our ways will seem foolish to them.
Jesus said,
“If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and a servant of all. (Mark 9:35)
Love demands that we put others before ourselves, and that we sacrifice for each other. We “win” when we help others “win.” We are in a race to put others first.
3) We have a responsibility to each other.
This connection to each other is not bound by location, or by race or by politics or any other thing. No matter how different our circumstances are, or how unalike we appear on the surface, every believer is united to other believers by the Spirit of God who dwells in each one of us. And He tells us to show love to each other.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15)
4) Our spiritual well-being is connected to other Christians.
God never planned for any of us to “go it alone.” Jesus prayed for God to bring us together in bonds of love for each other (unity) and Him. He knew it was going to be rough, and that we would need a physical person to be on the path with us, encouraging us, or possibly even correcting us.
And God warns us that if we are uncaring about the spiritual lives of our brothers and sisters, then we will be held accountable by God for their souls. We are often told that we only have responsibility for our own actions. And legally, that is true in most cases. But God calls us to take on the responsibility to love and warn each other, because it is literally life or death–for both of us.
If “. . .you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.” (Ezekiel 33:8)
But our responsibility doesn’t end there–our progress affects those who have already finished in this world! Paul is specifically using this metaphor of a race to show us that we must give it our all because our “heroes in the faith” will not receive everything promised to them until we finish the race well! (Hebrews 11:39-40)
So what could go wrong?
None of us know when the race will be over, and Jesus will come back. (Jesus told us that even He didn’t know–only the Father knows.) (Matthew 24:36) Our job is to stay strong in the faith and keep going.
One thing that will make it very hard on us when Jesus returns (if He comes back during our lifetime) is if our hopes and hearts are still wrapped up in the things of this earth. All of it is all right here under our noses, so it’s hard not to be pulled in.
The shiny stuff (temptations of all kinds) is very distracting, I admit. It is meant to be addicting. It flashes and changes color; it synchronizes to the beat and jumps in front of us if our eyes start to wander away from it.
The goal of the temptation is to drags us off into sinful thoughts and habits. And if it can’t do that, it distracts us, delaying our work for God, delaying our obedience until it becomes rebellion against God’s commands. We can become deceived about what is most important when we take our eyes off of Jesus, and then even our good intentions can be used against us.
Close your eyes to the distractions of this world to better focus on Jesus, and think of our future together. Our future is not in the shape of a grave, though the door to it may look like it. Our future is a brand new life, richer and more compelling than anything here on this corrupted, cursed earth. Jesus made this earth, and He is making our new place, too. We need to be packed (emotionally invested in our new place) and ready to go (close to Jesus, watching for His return.) Part of our task on this earth is to prepare our hearts for the new place.
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21)
Don’t get distracted by the things of this world, even by the “good” or “religious” things that take your eyes off of Jesus. Church building doesn’t have much to do with expanding the physical building or the adding to the schedule or providing the “extras.” God builds the church. Our part is to ask Him to do it, and to reach out to others in ways that He prompts us.
“No one can come unto me unless the Father draws him.” (John 6:44)
We can’t do anything for God’s kingdom when we do it in our own power. And to make things even worse, when we are distracted or over-scheduled, we are easy to deceive.
We don’t mean for it to happen. It’s a trick that works, though, and we fall for it. The evil one knows how to use good intentions to get us off balance so that we start doing things in our own power and forget to wait on God.
And when it happens, the only safe place is in the arms of Jesus. Getting ahead of God often leads us to sin, and sinning means that we have left our protection behind. Sin kills–end of story. The end of that road is death.
When we know that we have messed up, we fear the consequences. We fear punishment. But hiding sin only delays forgiveness. Our sin has already been paid for by Jesus. When we drop it, its power of death over us will be gone. Drop it, and turn back to His love.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
We never have to fear God, as long as we are willing to turn away from our sin. Like Goldie, we need to drop it and run!
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.” (I John 4:18)
I am so grateful for the mercy of God! I know Jesus understands us because He lived right here on this earth, and experienced everything we do. And now He sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us. He pleads our case against the accuser, who is also watching us, waiting for something he can use against us. But Jesus defends us, reminding the accuser that He has paid for all of it in advance.
The most powerful One in the world is on our side!
“What shall we say then to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:33)
God understands that we need help here on earth, and so He has provided lots of it. But we must keep our eyes on Jesus Christ for the rest of this race, remembering that He tells us: “Run to Me.”
The Fullers Four 