Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Hebrews 12:1-3
Pastor: Pastor Schlicht
Sermon Date:  April 14, 2019

Have you ever heard of a man named Derek Redmond? Derek Redmond was the British 400-meter record-holder when he was only 19 years old. He qualified for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, but just two minutes before his opening heat Derek’s achilles tendon gave out and he was forced to withdraw from the race. It was devastating, but he didn’t give up. Over the next four year he would have five different surgeries to repair his body. He trained hard and qualified for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He posted the fastest 400-meter time of the first round, and went on to win his quarter-final easily. In the semifinal race he was running well with the lead when it happened. About 250 meters from the finish he heard a loud pop. His hamstring had tore. He hobbled and then fell to his knees in pain. The other runners quickly passed him by and the stretcher bearers made their way over to him. But Derek Redmond waved them off; he wanted to finish the race.

His father was in the stadium and when he saw his son go down, he knew exactly what had happened. He raced down through the stands, climbed over the railing, and even outran a few security guards to reach his son on the track. He put his arm around him and helped bear his weight. They walked together so that Derek could finish the race. And even though his father had to shoo away a few race officials who wanted them to clear track, Derek did cross that finish line as a crowd of 65,000 gave him a standing ovation. Even though the race didn’t go the way he wanted, Derek still finished strong.

In life, things don’t always go the way that you want. But that doesn’t mean you can’t finish strong. Do you ever have a hard time believing that? I’m assuming there are things in your life that haven’t always gone the way you would have wanted. Maybe the job didn’t work out. Maybe the one you have is more stressful than you expected. Maybe a relationship you were convinced was going to satisfy you ended up making you feel the exact opposite. Maybe cancer knocked you off your feet. Maybe some bad news or a mental illness makes you feel life you are hobbling in life right now. Like Derek, maybe your story is one that shows things don’t always go the way you want. But when that happens, do you still believe that you can finish strong?

It reminds me of Palm Sunday. If you were one of the disciples, would you think that day went well? At first it certainly seems like it. The crowd cheered wildly for Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem. They called him the Son of David and hailed him as the long awaited Messiah and king. They took off their coats just so that his donkey could step on them. They striped trees of palm branches and waved them in excitement. It was a beautiful celebration for Jesus. The disciples must have thought it was the perfect day! But do you know what Jesus did the moment this wonderful procession ended? Jesus began to cry. He saw the city of Jerusalem before him and he wept over it. (Luke 19:41) He wept because he knew that by the end of the week this city he was marching into as king was going to be begging Pilate to crucify him. And none of his disciples wanted that to happen.

But in that moment that we find our greatest encouragement to get back up on our feet and keep going when things don’t go the way we were planning. When Jesus started weeping, he said the city didn’t really know what it was that would bring them peace. But Jesus did. It’s the whole reason he came. It’s the reason he continued. It’s the reason he finished strong. And Jesus believes you can too. He believes you will. On this Palm Sunday we turn to the book of Hebrews and in chapter 12 we find three great encouragements to run our own races of life, so that regardless of what happens along the way, in the end we will finish strong just like our Savior.

We start with Hebrews 12:1: 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. We are in a race. I’m not just talking about the hectic pace of life, I’m talking about the race of faith, the specific course which God has marked out for each one of us. We aren’t supposed to just exist as Christians and then enter heaven. We are supposed to run, to progress in faith and hope. God has given us a purpose and he tells us that the way we mature and grow as Christians matters. God says we are in a race, that we are to run with perseverance. We don’t want to enter heaven looking backward, or live our lives aimlessly. God has marked out a race for you and he asks that no matter where you’re at right now, that you strive to finish strong.

1. The Great Cloud of Witnesses

The first encouragement we have in this pursuit is that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.” Do you know who those witnesses are? They are the people talked about in the previous chapter. Hebrews chapter 11 is called the “Heroes of Faith” chapter because it is a list of men and women who, in order to finish strong, were willing to run through anything. The witnesses who surround us are those who “were tortured,” it says. “They faced jeers and flogging … were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were persecuted, mistreated, and destitute.”  They were thrown to the lions, tossed into flames. It doesn’t sound like things went as planned, but God had something better in mind for them. The chapter concludes with the words, “the world was not worthy of them.” They didn’t belong here. They were just passing through on their race.

And so are we! As we run the race of faith, the writer to the Hebrews says that we are surrounded by these witnesses. Why many of our own family members who have crossed the finish line of faith circle around us as well. They aren’t here on earth as wandering spirits or anything, but they do cheer us on, if you will, through their example of faithfulness set before us. We run in their footsteps. I think of some of these great witnesses who recently completed their race like Donna Hansen or Pastor Trapp. I think of my own grandfather preaching in a small church in Minnesota. I think of Moses standing before Pharaoh. I think of the apostle Paul sailing to distant lands to preach gospel. I think of a small baby who died just after she was baptized. What witnesses surround you? Maybe you think of a mother or father, a grandmother or grandfather; a dear friend, now departed. I think we all know some witnesses in the stands of the heavenly stadium. As you run your race of faith, even when things don’t go as planned, their witness of faith in Jesus will encourage you to finish strong!

2. Throw Off Hindrances and Entangling Sin

The second encouragement we are given while running is to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…” The word for “hindrance” which the author has in mind has no necessarily negative connotation. What I mean is that these hindrances aren’t always sins in and of themselves. Many think that running the race of faith means asking, “Is this right or wrong?” and then deciding not to do it if it is a sin. But hindrances doesn’t equate to sinful actions. So the question shouldn’t be, “Can I do this?” The question should be, “Is this in the way of me growing in faith?” I wish could’ve realized this difference when I was younger. And right now I’m talking especially to those who are younger. When you think about your music, or your social sites/apps, your movies, your favorite Youtubers, your sports, your friends, don’t just ask, “Is this a sin?” Ask: “Does this help me run for Jesus?” Before you get in a relationship, romantic or otherwise, don’t ask, “Is this person going to treat me well?” Or “Is this person right for me?” Look beyond their appearance and ask yourself, “Is this person going to encourage me in my faith? Will they support me in purity? Will they help me to grow in self-control, in patience, in kindness? Is this person helping me to run my race, or are they in the way?” This question applies to all of us. And a runner’s perspective really sharpens the meaning here. My friends, we are running a race! Didn’t anybody ever tell you that? Can you imagine if someone placed a large boulder in the middle of one track lane at the olympics? That would be ridiculous,right? The runner would protest! They would refuse to run until it’s removed! It is more than obvious, if you are running a race, you aren’t going to tolerate hindrances on the track. The Holy Spirit inspired the author of Hebrews to tell us to clear the track of faith. May we examine our lives and be courageous in deciding what stays and what goes so that we can run the race God has marked out for us.

The other thing that slows down the runner of faith is “the sin that so easily entangles.” This specific type of sin isn’t a brick wall in front of us; this isn’t the obvious sin that we have to keep in check for our own reputation’s sake. This is the type that no one sees or at least would never call you out on. It’s the entangling type of sin that slowly wraps around our legs as we run. It’s the pet sins that we take care of, the ones we make excuses for, the ones that we maybe repent of but have great difficulty avoiding. These sins may not seem too detrimental at first, but soon they begin to slow us down. These entangling sins wrap around our legs and try as we may to run fast in faith, we will not progress if we allow them to remain. Growth in faith cannot take place simultaneously with conscious sin. Remember, we are running a race! We would never try to run with our shoelaces tied together, right? Let’s be serious about untying ourselves from entangling sins so that we can run in faith. Perhaps this means getting an accountability partner, perhaps this means talking to a Pastor in private, but whatever it means it definitely includes trusting that through the power of the Holy Spirit you can throw off these entangling sins. Even if things haven’t gone as you planned, you can still finish the race of faith strong!

3. Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

Which brings us to number 3: Hebrews 12:2 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.

The third and most important thing to do when running the race of faith is to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. As he rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he knew what was waiting for him before his race ended. It wasn’t just a hamstring tear, but a hammer pounding nails into his skin. It wasn’t the sound of people cheering him on to victory, but spiteful jeers which resounded as his blood poured out onto the ground beneath the cross. It wasn’t a gold medal, but a crown of thorns as he hung naked and shamed in front of everyone who looked. Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised.” People couldn’t even bear to look at him; he was that shameful. And yet what did our verse say? “He endured the cross.” He “scorned its shame.” Jesus finished strong, because he thought that welcoming us into heaven far surpassed the horror that he would endure. He scorned that shame because the joy of seeing us cross the finish line into his glorious eternity was more than worth it to him. And it is for that same incomparable joy of being with him in heaven that we now run, by faith, through even the worst conditions of life with confidence. That is God promise when we fix our eyes on Jesus!

We fix our eyes on Jesus because he is the “pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” He is the pioneer because he blazed the path that leads to heaven. Through his perfect life sacrificed on the cross, a narrow lane has been forged from this world to the heavenly kingdom of God our Father. As Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6) Without him, we wouldn’t even have a track to run our race on! But it is just as wonderful that he is the perfecter of our faith. The term used for perfecter here has the sense of completion. In terms of racing it is talking about finishing. In fact, the King James Version doesn’t say “perfecter.”  It calls Jesus the “finisher.” And the reason it does is because, he not only took the punishment for all those sins we so easily get tangled up in, he also rose from the dead on Easter Morning! He shows us the victory that awaits! He is the finisher because since he lives we too will live!

Have you ever heard of a man named Quincy Watts? Like Derek Redmond, Quincy Watts also ran in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Like Derek Redmond, Quincy Watts participated in the 400 meter dash. Unlike Derek Redmond, Quincy Watts won the gold medal in that race. But nobody remembers Quincy Watts. Rather, they remember an act of love that allowed a tired, broken man to finish the race. When you are tired, when you are broken, we are told to do the same thing. “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:3) Fix your eyes on Jesus, our Palm Sunday King, and run with perseverance the race God has marked out for you. Even if you fall, even if things don’t go as nearly as planned, Jesus will be there to pick you up. He will be your strength and you will finish strong.

Amen.