EPISODE 252 HEBREWS CHAPTER 12 Part 1 "Of whom the world was not worthy"

Welcome to Share the Word. So the questions are, where did your faith start, and where has it gone? Where are you now with regards to your faith? And do you feel like you're running a race? And who is your competition? Who motivates you?

Who are you keeping your eye on? All of these questions and more are addressed today. Hebrews chapter 12, part 1, Of Whom the World Was Not Worthy. Do you ever get the feeling that your smartphone is just somehow a little too smart and is actually spying on you? Not just recording and notifying others of your online searches, but even listening into your conversations. Can't tell you how many times I've been thinking about something and then talking about something with someone, and then only shortly afterwards open my feed to see something on that very subject or ads claiming to solve that very problem.

I bet you've had that same slightly weird experience. Happened again just the other day after I came home from recording our last lesson on Hebrews 11 with Tony. Remember we talked about the primacy of faith, the one indispensable, impossible to do without quality God is looking for in us. Within a short time, a featured post came across my Facebook feed from someone I don't follow, but a woman who, it sounds like, often posts about her Christian faith online. Her post was a long outpouring, a confessional almost, about how discouraged she was with her faith, how God was not coming through for her in ways she expected. I felt bad reading it.

I identified with many of the things that she was revealing, so I left her a note trying to encourage her. But honestly, I'm afraid he's probably an example of someone who bought into a less than honest presentation of the gospel. As I put it a couple episodes ago, a gospel of an easy life now, that if we only become Christians, things will all smooth out and we can escape the problems and enjoy our best life now. That's not the gospel. Neither Christ nor the writers of the New Testament promised the good life, the easy life, the problem-free, pain-free life. That's something most of us, probably all of us if we're honest, will never consistently experience in this lifetime.

Just listen to some of the rest of chapter 11 and hear what the author is saying about people of exemplary faith. All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they all saw it from a distance and looked forward to it. They agreed that they were foreigners and strangers here on earth. Obviously, people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country that they came from, they could have gone back there, but they were looking for something better, a better place, a heavenly home.

That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, and he has prepared a city for them. Then he goes on to extol some more heroes of faith that I didn't mention in that lesson. He says it would take too long to recount the stories of faith of Gideon, or Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, all the prophets. By faith, those people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, received the promises of God, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They were strong in battle, put whole armies to flight.

Wow, it sounds like people of faith were blessed and protected from all ills, right? Um, no, because he goes on, others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained and imprisoned. Some died by stoning.

Some were sawed in half. Others were killed with swords. Some went about wearing rough skins of animals, destitute, oppressed, mistreated. They were too good for this world. They wandered over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised them.

For God has something better in mind for us. Do you hear him? Personally, I love the line, They were too good for this world. Or as another translation puts it, They were people of whom this world is not worthy. Chapter 12 continues in this same vein. The added chapter divisions artificially disconnect things sometimes, and that's the case here.

Therefore, he says in chapter 12, verse 1, Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up, and let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiated and perfected our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and is now seated in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people. Then you won't become weary and give up. After all, you haven't yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

I think he meant as Jesus had, or possibly as Paul and Peter and some other followers of Jesus had recently. This letter was written from Rome. You can see that in chapter 13. You can see in Italy's capital city to this day also its massive Colosseum. Almost all the important cities during the Roman Empire built large stadiums or amphitheaters for sporting and gladiator events. Some things weren't built again on that scale till modern times.

The ruins of many such Roman-era stadiums still remain. Some have even been restored, like in Laodicea, Turkey, or Caesarea, Israel. Google up some pictures of them. Actually, it wasn't even the Colosseum, but the Circus Maximus that was the largest arena in Rome. But unlike the Colosseum, that one's mostly gone now. It was an enormous oblong-shaped stadium, and it's estimated to have been able to accommodate more than 150,000, possibly 200,000 spectators for popular sporting events like chariot racing.

That's larger than any sporting venue in America today. And it's that kind of environment that the author has in mind as the backdrop for this passage when he writes, We're surrounded by a huge cloud of witnesses, as we run our life's race, evoking an image of countless people of faith who've died before us, as though they are now in heaven as our spectators, like fans in the stadium seats watching our race and cheering us on. With that metaphor in our minds, the author urges his readers, including us, let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Between the time we accept Christ because we believed into who He was, and we believe that He died for us and we've put our faith in Him, until we cross our life's finish line, we should think of all that time for Christians as an endurance race, like a marathon.

The word race here the author uses, the Greek word is agon, and is the root word of our word agony. So he's not suggesting our lives following Christ will be a pleasant stroll. Being a marathoner, even just as an amateur, demands training, discipline, and perseverance. These lines, in the context of the times they were written, are unmistakably challenging. Looking at your life, if you're a professing follower of Christ, would anyone compare what they observe of it to a spiritual marathon that you're seriously trying to win? Endurance shows if our faith is real.

How many profess faith in Christ that seemed gung-ho for a little while but then shortly peter out? Reminds me of my own racing skills when I was young. I prided myself on being a pretty good sprinter for 100 yards or so. I could beat most guys, but when I got to college, my freshman year, for some kind of physical fitness test, they took us to the track and we had to run several laps. I don't know, maybe it was a mile. I looked good for the first half lap or so, but shortly my legs were feeling wobbly and my chest was heaving.

By the time I stumbled across the finish line, I literally felt physically sick. I was completely, completely exhausted. As we've learned, many of the people who first read this letter started off well, excited about Christianity, but when difficulties started mounting, some were shrinking back toward the more familiar and comfortable practices of Judaism. When friends began ostracizing them or family got unhappy with them, and especially when real persecution became a serious threat, the race got harder, harder than they had expected it would, and they faltered. A marathon is a good example, a good metaphor for the race we call the Christian life. But it's not exactly like that race at a track meet.

Metaphors are good, but they only correspond so far. For one thing, as Christians, we're not really competing against other people, or for that matter, even for people to notice our efforts. Our competition is really against the world system, our old sin nature, and the devil himself. We're trying to beat them, not outdo some other guy or gal at our church or one of our brothers or sisters if we're from a Christian family. And also remember, the prize is not salvation. Salvation is only by grace and through faith.

We know that. We will run the race with endurance, doing our best to be a winner at the Christian life because our faith is real. We believe the things God's Word tells us are true, and we want to hear at the finish line, Well done, from our Savior. So, as my lifelong buddies challenged me after our last reunion when we were parting, Finish well. Finish well. We all knew what that meant.

Keep running with endurance all the way through the tape. As the Apostle Paul put it using this same metaphor in Philippians chapter 2, Run in a way so that you will win. Why be in such a race and be a slacker? Do your best to be a champion for being challenged. The great cloud of witnesses in the metaphor are one thing that should motivate us toward that end. I don't think this necessarily means everyone in heaven is watching our day-to-day struggles, and man, I hope not.

But the idea is there are a lot of people of faith who've gone before us who finished their race well, and they're our examples. Emulate their faith, their endurance. It's like when you hang photos or the words of people you greatly admire in your house, in your bedroom, in your study. There's a couple places that I hang mine. I don't expect those people are actually watching me, but I'm looking to them. They're challenging and encouraging examples to keep myself motivated in my life's race.

I do expect them to welcome me at the end of it. And when it comes to creating motivation, even more significantly, I hope Jesus will. As we're reminded more than once in the New Testament, we Christians will one day stand before the one who the author calls the initiator and perfecter of our faith, or in other versions, the author and finisher of our faith. That is, we will be met by Jesus Christ when our life here is over. What's the dynamic going to be then? Hearing the one who died for us, who made a way for us to be there, say, Well done, Paul, or Well done, Tony, or Well done, Margie, or whatever your name is, whatever he knows you by, will make any and all the effort we've put into running our life's race here more than well worth it.

That's part of what the author means in verse 2 when he says, Run with endurance, keeping your eyes on Jesus. Right now, also in Italy, coincidentally, the Olympic Games are going on. These are the Winter Games, but still the type of big competition so popular in the ancient world that the author is thinking about with this race metaphor. When he wrote this, perhaps there were such games going on at the Circus Maximus in Rome. When it comes to any kind of racing, whether it's track, swimming, something like speed skating, I've noticed that athletes over the years are wearing less and lighter weight outfits. Every go-round, it seems like they wear less, looking for any edge.

As Christians, we run our life's race. He's urging us, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. Other versions say, lay aside every encumbrance, or another one, any extra baggage. By that descriptive expression, he means anything that may fall short of actually being sin, but which causes us to slow down or perform more poorly than we could. I'm not sure what he had in mind exactly. It's a broad enough expression to include a lot of things.

But the application to think about is, what keeps me from running my Christian life like a real champion? Am I carrying unnecessary baggage? For example, hobbies or entertainment as valuable times of rest and recreation are great, but if they become controlling on our time and attention, they can also become something that is hindering us. Can you see that? Some relationships. Relationships are great, of course.

God made us to be social beings. He wants us to stay engaged with our family, with our other believers, and also with those we should be influencing for the gospel. But sometimes relationships with some people can detract from or even damage our relationship with God. Those wrong people can drag us back and pull us away from the things we know to be spiritually valuable and eternally important. In the case of his first readers, the author may have had in mind their reluctance to let go of things from their past, maybe even some of their religious stuff. If you become a Christian now and want to do your best in the race ahead of you God has for you, it may well require you to think about what things from your past, not necessarily sinful things either, just no longer useful things, you need to let go of.

Throw off the unnecessary weight so you can run your race to the best of your ability, he urges. And of course, sin. Trying to run our life's race as a Christian while excusing or nursing old sinful habits or relationships in our lives is like trying to run with your shoelaces tied together. One great evidence of the Holy Spirit in us, once we become believers, is we start to recognize sin more clearly, and we start to become less okay with it. When you know something is wrong, take the steps to cut it out of your life. Relegate it to your past before you knew Christ.

You need accountability with that or help with that. That's what spiritual leaders and small group partners are for. Again, in the context of what has gone before in this epistle, the author may have in view, for many of his first-century readers, the sin of unbelief, letting creeping doubts or the intellectual arguments others throw in your face, those kinds of things start to mess with your mind. Keep growing in grace and knowledge, we're admonished. Don't allow Satan or anyone else to get you off course and mess with your mind. The things you've become convinced of, when the Holy Spirit convinced you of them, like Jesus is for real, His Word is the truth, don't let anyone undermine and destroy that.

As Paul urged Timothy, continue in the things you've become convinced of, knowing from whom you learned them. Timothy learned about what a life of faith looked like from Paul. But Paul also said in another place, Follow me as I follow Christ. Paul looked to Jesus' life as the ultimate example. We can look at an older, wiser Christian as a model too, long as we remember they're just people. They may fail, but our ultimate example is Jesus Christ.

I bet you never gave much thought to the idea that Jesus, during his time in our world, also lived by faith. He had things he had come to do. He had promises of what would happen if he obeyed them. He depended on the power of the Holy Spirit. He resisted temptations. He didn't get distracted.

His life was no less of a marathon, if we only knew, was probably much more than anything any of us will ever have to deal with. Listen, what drove him on wasn't the joy of the race. I mean, there were some things he enjoyed, I'm sure, some things that gratified him. He had to enjoy healing people or freeing someone from an evil spirit. I'm sure he enjoyed the companionship and intimacy of close friends. He certainly enjoyed seeing some people come to really trust him and follow him.

But remember, at the same time, even his own family didn't believe in him. The religious leaders hated him and conspired against him. One of his own disciples betrayed him. He was wrongfully accused by people. He was mocked. He was abused and ultimately crucified.

That was all part of his race, definitely harder than anything any of us will face, I'm pretty sure. But he believed God throughout it. He had faith that even if he laid down his life, he would be raised up again. He endured what he had to endure to finish his cross, and this passage tells us how and why he was able to do it. In a very literal reading of Hebrews chapter 12, verses 2 and 3, the author challenges us with these words: Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and is now sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility by sinners against himself so that you will not grow weary and faint of heart.

No, it wasn't the joy of the race. Jesus' life was hard, very hard, and it ended on a cross. What kept him running all the way to the end, to the It is finished, his faith. He trusted God. He fully believed there was joy in heaven awaiting him after he completed his marathon here. Can you even imagine the joy that greeted Jesus when he returned to glory, having endured what he had to endure to save us?

We get some idea from the glimpses of heaven we're told about in the Revelation, as in chapter 5, the songs of praise sung to Jesus by the saints and angels there, like, Worthy are you, O Lord, because you were slain and purchased for God with your blood people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Those singing it, it says, were myriads of myriads and thousands upon thousands, raising their voice together, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing, and everything which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea and all things in them joined in that song to him who sits on the throne, to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever. Yes, Jesus is certainly worthy, and one day I want to join in those songs. I hope you do too.

Until then, let's run our races with endurance as He did, and with discipline and with focus, as the heroes of the faith did before us. Let's strive to be those Christ will welcome into glory with, Well done, people of faith, of whom this messed up world is not worthy. Thanks, Paul. So have you figured out what your life's baggage is? Is it controlling, and has it become a hindrance to your relationship with God? I challenge you to figure out what from your past you need to let go of.

What from your past is no longer useful, so that you can run your race to the best of your ability. Remember, the enemy will attempt to sidetrack you any way possible, even from your belief. Be careful, and stay in the Word.