Hebrews 12:1-3
 
Reflect, Remove, and Regain (Hebrews 12:1)
 
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
 
The book of Hebrews was written to encourage a persecuted tired church to keep fighting, to keep running, to keep struggling for the worthy gospel of God’s glory. In fact the author of Hebrews and the Apostle Paul, as well as the other New Testament heroes never knew anything about a coasting Christianity. You cannot coast in following Christ! Are you running for Christ or coasting?
 
 You know what coasting looks like! There’s very little desire for growth in Christ. There’s little involvement in the local body of Christ, no personal self-feeding through bible study and prayer, and no accountability. It’s replaced by temporal activities such as recreation, relaxation, and comfort.
 
The Christian life is for the courageous servant, not the comfortable consumer! Listen to Paul’s self- designated epitaph in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
 
How do we reflect, remove, and regain?
 
  1. Reflect on former runners. Any time the word therefore is mentioned, you have to see what it’s there for. It’s pointing us back to Chapter 11, especially to the great hall of faith. You and I have heroes of the faith “surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” that have ran for Christ. We look up in stands while we’re running and say, they ran for Christ, I can too! So look back at witnesses and reflect how they depended on Christ!
  2. Remove sin. “let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.” You have to call an all-out war on sin. In war you deploy troops for the fight. Our troops are the local church, the universal church, the Holy Spirit. Prayer and reading the war manual along with asking for help from our battle buddies is the way we’ll remove sin. Let’s help each other fight!
  3. Regain strength. “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” As we look back to those who ran for Christ, may the way they ran refresh your life for Christ. They struggled, they fought, and they toiled for Jesus. How did they do it? I believe verses 2 and 3 give us that answer. They depended on Jesus for strength. We will depend on Jesus for strength. Let’s look at verse 2.
 
Refocus, Rejoice, and Reigns (Hebrews 12:2)
 
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
 
  1. Refocus on Jesus. “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” Place all of your attention onto Him. You cannot remove sin without His power! You cannot be forgiven and renewed without His love! You cannot be used without His Spirit! How do you refocus? Do as Paul tells Timothy! Discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness. You have got to fight to refocus. Sunday mornings are a battle, Sunday evenings are a battle, Wednesday night is a battle. Satan wants us to be lazy, not care about gathering. He wants us to not witness, to not go on missions, for us to not spend time in prayer and bible study. Refocusing on Jesus takes a fight. The reason we focus on him is because He is our founder of faith! If you have faith, you have Christ. If you do not have faith you do not have Christ!
  2. Rejoice in His Work. “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,.” That should have been me and you on the cross! He enjoys loving us so much that He took that payment that we should have paid. He enjoys His love for us even enough to die! Rejoice that you and I can have a relationship with the Creator through the cross!
  3. Jesus Reigns.“despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” He is the author of life and of eternal life! Trust in His sovereign almighty reign. Trust in His promises. You can run because Jesus reigns!
 
Be Renewed and Refreshed. (Hebrews 12:3)
 
Find your renewal in Jesus Christ. “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”
 
I love Acts 3:19-20 “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,”
 
How should we run? We’ll look back, we’ll look up, and we’ll look forward.