Sermon, 3/14/04 am

Jim Huskey, The Race

For several lessons now we have looked in depth at some of the examples

given in Hebrews, chapter 11, of the subject the author introduced in

verse 1, when he said, "Now faith is...." He then gave us examples of

faith and how it had its affect on those who had such faith. We

looked at Abraham, Isaac, Noah, the taking of the city of Jericho, we

looked at Rahab. Picking up in verse 32 through the remainder of the

11th chapter, we read these words:

"And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of

Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; and of David also,

and Samuel, and of the prophets; who through faith subdued kingdoms,

wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of

weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the

armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again;

and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might

obtain a better resurrection; and others had trial of cruel mockings

and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment; they were

stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the

sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute,

afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy;) they wandered

in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And

these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not

the promise; God having provided some better thing for us, that they

without us should not be made perfect (complete)." Heb. 11:32-40.

There, again is the author's theme of "better", pointing to the fact

that all those who live and died prior to the death of Jesus on the

cross looked forward to that event for their forgiveness. "...that

they without us should not be made perfect."

"Wherefore..." That means what follows is connected to what preceeded

it. "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a

cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which

doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience 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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Heb. 12:1,2. "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so

great a cloud of witnesses.." I am not positive as to the implication

of that. I think I know what is suggested here. I am of aware of the

fact that those who have died and gone on are cognizant of things on

the earth. I know that because Jesus told about two men who died,

the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man, in Luke 16, we're told lifted

up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus

in his bosom. Of course he asked for himself first. He was probably

so conditioned because of his nature on earth. He asked Abaraham to

send Lazarus and let him dip his finger in water and cool "my tongue,

for I am tormented in these flames." He was told it was not possible.

Well, his next thought was for his brethren back on earth. So he was

aware. I believe those who have preceeded us, this great honor role

of faith, sit in the arena. I believe they are aware of what's taking

place here on the earth. "...we also are compassed about with so

great a cloud of witnesses..." I have heard of people on so many

occasions during my more than forty years in the pulpit talk about

just how difficult being a christian is, that nobody really understands,

nobody really knows how hard it is. Tell it to these folks. Tell it

to these folks!!!!! What did he say? They were sawn asunder, they

were imprisoned, they were beaten, the dead bodies of thier families

were handed to them. They knew what it meant to serve God. They knew

what it meant to be faithful. I belive that is why Paul, if he be the

author of Hebrews, and I believe he is, began this great chapter with

"Now faith is.." What so many today call faith is garbage. It's not

the kind of faith you read about in Hebrews, chapter 11. It's not the

kind of faith that provided them with a "good report". It's the kind

of faith that says "Oh, yea, I believe it, but I'm not going to do

anything as a result of what I believe." That's what so many today

call faith. Just say "Lord, I believe." Well, Jesus said in Matthew,

chapter 7, "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not

prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in

thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto

them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Matt. 7:22,23. Jesus pointed out very plainly that the man who would

be well-pleasing in His sight would "do" those things the Father

commanded. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter

into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father

which is in heaven." Matt. 7:21. That's what these folks in Hebrews 11

did. Listen to what he said, "...obtained promises, stopped the mouths

of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword,

.....women received their dead raised to life again, others were

tortured.....and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings,

yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment..." I don't think a lot of

folks understood what the concept of scourging was until they saw this

new movie that's out by Mel Gibson called "The Passion". They talk

about understanding that Christ was scourged. We don't have a concept

of what that is. I remember when I was a kid we used to make a whip.

We have some foks who worked at the tannery there at home and they'd

get us leather and we'd braid those long strips and make a whip and

we'd tie the end of them up and put on there what we called a "cracker"

or a "popper" on those ends. That's not what they did in those days.

They left the ends frayed and through those frayed ends they attached

bits of metal and glass and stones, anything designed to gouge, cut,

take chunks of flesh out of the body. That's the scourge with which

they were beaten. It wasn't just Jesus who was beaten that way, my

friends. This author said "And others had trial of cruel mockings

and scourgings..." It is said that Nero provided light for his garden

with human torches, using christians. He provided sport for his lions

by putting them in the arena with christians who had been beaten. You

see, we need to understand this. There have been folks along the way

already who know what it's all about. They didn't have half the

opportunities we have. Then we say 'It's just so hard.' People today

talk about how hard life is. It's just hard to get everything done.

I remember when women would get up at three or four o'clock in the

morning, go out a wring the head off a chicken, cut it up, dress it,

fry it, make biscuits, fix all this for breakfast, having it on the

table on time, then go out and work in the field all day, come to the

house in the evening. Men did the same type thing. We talk about how

hard we have it. They didn't have the conveniences we have. They

couldn't pop it in the microwave and have it done instantly.

There are people who have gone before who are sitting, watching in the

arena, and they must be wondering, "What in the world these nuts think

they are doing; just what in the world do they think they are doing?

We never had it so good." And if the truth is known, most of the rest

of the world's people don't, either

"...we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses..."

Then he said "....let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth

so easily beset us..." Paul said in Colossians 3:1 beginning, said

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,

where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God......put off the old man

with his deeds..." Col. 3:1,9. Then he listed the things we must lay

aside. Runners, when in training, used to put weights on their ankles

and sometimes on their wrists. They would run in training with those

weights, but when it came time to run in the race, they took the weights

off. What Paul was saying here was that the christian has to get the

weights off so he an run. This is not a race in which he needs to be

cumbered. He has to put those things off. He has to lay them aside

and RUN. In I Corinthians 9, Paul used that figure again of the

christian life. It's a race. Verse 24 beginning, Paul said, "Know ye

not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the

prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for

the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a

corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as

uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air; but I keep

under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any means,

when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

I Cor. 9:24-27. This christian life, this christian race business, is

serious. It's not a leisurely stroll, in others words. Paul said

RUN.

Now I want you to notice what else is said with that. "...let us run

with patience the race that is set before us." Patience. Does anybody

know what that is anymore? You can look it up in the dictionary, but

do we really understand the concept of the word "patience". Most of

us are like the fellow that prayed, "Lord, give me patience, and give

it to me right now." We don't have the concept of patience. We want

everything and we want it yesterday; we don't want to wait for anything.

One of the problems with a lot of couples today starting out in married

life is that they want to start out where their mother and daddy were

after thirty years of marriage and work. It just doesn't work that

way. Run with "patience". In the book of Romans, chapter 12, verse 12,

Paul talked about the fact that christians have to be "patient in

tribulation.." Life will be over soon enough !!!! "The days of our

years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they

be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is

soon cut off, and we fly away." Psa. 90:10. "...run with patience..."

You think of a child learning to walk. I don't know if you ever stopped

to think as your children were growing up, trying to walk, just how

many times they fell down before they actually were able to walk.

Well, that may be what's wrong with them; they're brain damaged now.

They've fallen so many times, hit their head in so many places, that

may be why it's so hard to get through to them; they may be brain

damaged. No, they just kept getting up and trying again, trying again,

trying again, trying again, until they finally got it right. "...run

with patience..." I think of old Peter and how many times he fell on

his face, but he just kept getting up and trying again, trying again,

trying again, until he finally got it the way the Lord wanted it.

"...let us run with patience.." Now that means this thing is not a

fifty or hundred dash. It's a long race. It's going to demand

endurance and it's going to demand patience. Alexander brings reading

lessons home and one of the stories we read the other night was about

the hare and the tortoise. The rabbit just bounced out, "well this is

not a race at all, I've got time to stop and take a nap." So it did.

The tortoise didn't stop and take a nap, he just kept plodding on,

plodding on, and by the rabbit realized what had happened, the

tortoise had beaten him. The race is not always to he swiftest. A

lot of folks burn out real quick. You watch some of these marathon

races, and watch some of the runners as they just tear out, they're

going to burn that track up. They run out in front for a while and

the next thing you know, they have exerted all their energy and next

thing you see is they start dropping back and others are beginning to

pass them, sometimes even lap them. That marathon race is not a

sprint, it's a long distance race, and one of the things those long

distance races demand is PATIENCE. Those runners who are most

successful learn when to make their moves. They wait for the proper

time. Lance Armstrong has run this bike thing, the Tour de Franc, how

many times now. The man's had cancer !!!! How does he do that????

That's a gruelling thing, up those mountains, sometimes in rain, snow.

How does he keep on doing it??? WITH PATIENCE !!!!! He paces himself

and learns when to make a move and when to just to stay where he is.

"..run with patience.."

One reason folks don't succeed sometimes is that they take their eye

off the goal. "..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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of

God." It's so easy to get side-tracked. It's so easy to lose sight of

where we're supposed to be going and what we're supposed to be doing.

There are all sorts of distractions around us; but what we have to do

is keep our eye on the goal. I kid my wife sometimes about her driving.

She is afraid she will miss something if we're driving down the road.

There may be a house that's been built since the day before, or

something. The only problem with that is, if the house happens to be

over to the right and there's a ditch over there, she has this

tendency to drive where she's looking. You get my drift !!!! Well,

that's exactly what the Hebrew author said here. If you're going to

win the race, you've got to keep the eye on the goal, "looking unto

Jesus.." He's the pattern, he's the example, he's the goal. "...the

author and finisher of our faith." What happens when you start looking

around? Well, you get distracted, lose perspective. That can be

dangerous. It can be dangerous when you're driving down the highway,

especially if you happen to see something off to the left and there

happens to be oncoming traffic, because if you have the tendency to

drive where you're looking, the next thing you know you're over in the

other fellow's lane and here comes a semi headed righ for you. Keep

your eye on Him, "...looking to Jesus..", looking at what he did. I

haven't seen the movie, but I've read a good bit about it, heard a good

bit from those who have seen it, this film "The Passion". These movie

makers take liberty sometimes and they call it artistic license, but

one of the things we need to learn is just what Jesus went through for

us. The cross wasn't pretty. I think that's one of the things that

has come out of this movie. The cross was not pretty. It was one of

the most inhumane methods of death that man devised. You see, these

jackleg lawyers today plead for their clients that have gone in and

murdered, raped, pillaged, maybe killed a mother and two or three

children, then when they sentence him to death in the electric chair,

"that's cruel and inhumane." Well, use the cross !!!! Let him die

that way !!!! He's just hit with a few volts of electricity real quick

and it's all over. Death on the cross took a while. A lot of times

it wasn't actually the wounds itself, it was gangrene that would set

in and all that would have its effect on the heart, the kidneys, etc.

It was a slow, painful thing. That's what the Lord went through for

us. That's why the Hebrew author said "...looking unto Jesus, the

author and finisher of our faith." Oh, he despised the cross; he

endured it, but he despised the shame that was attached to it. But

having done that, he's now set down at the right hand of the throne of

God. Keep your eye on Jesus; he's the goal.

"Now faith is...." That's how we keep our eye on the goal - through

faith. That's what the eleventh chapter of Hebrews was all about;

that's how we get to that point; that's how we run that race - with

patience; that's how we keep our eye on Jesus - THROUGH FAITH. It is

not only believing in God, it is believing God. It's the assurance of

things hoped for, or substance, and the evidence of things not seen

as yet.