Verse 12:1 of Hebrews says: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us," (NET) We could easily spend the rest of the week, simply meditating on what is contained in this verse. We could reflect on the cloud of witnesses to faith, both those who were listed in chapter 11, and those unnamed, but described -- tortured, sawn in two, put to death by the sword; those who wandered in deserts and mountains... We could reflect on the cloud of witnesses who are a part of our story, the people of faith in our ancestry, our family, our friends, perhaps a Sunday school teacher, or even someone like Martin Luther, who saw the sin of the church and was willing to stand against it. We could reflect on what it is in our life that weighs us down, that encumbers us, and keeps us from running the race set before us, as fast as possible, for as long as needed. We could reflect especially on the entangling sin in our life, and how we will throw it off. We could reflect on endurance, how do we build it, how do we run with it, where will our next breath come from. We could reflect on what exactly the course of our race is, since each of us runs a race with the same finishing line, but on a different track that leads to it.
Wow. And there are still 28 verses to go. For the readers of Hebrews, the author is providing the encouragement to push forward, and not slip backwards into the faith of the past. The heroes of faith listed in chapter 11, heroes under the old covenant, never received while alive, the fulfillment of God's promise in the person of Jesus. But the readers had received the fulfilled promise that made them perfect, complete. Therefore, they should throw off everything that hindered them -- the pull of their familiar old religious practices, the pressure to leave their faith in Jesus, the sin that tangles everything in their life -- and run forward, with endurance. Throw it all off, even down to shaving the hairs that hinder.
The writer encourages them and us. Run with endurance. Look at how Jesus endured the shame and pain of the cross by fixing His eyes on the joy that awaited. That joy was restoration to His position of majesty in heaven, but now with the knowledge that what He endured restores us to full relationship with God. We can run with endurance by fixing our eyes on Jesus, who endured the opposition of sinful men. And we can endure hardship, when we understand its role as discipline of a loving father. Let me restate those endurance lessons.
- Run with endurance, by remembering the witness of the heroes of faith.
- Run with endurance, by removing all hindrances to our running.
- Run with endurance, by setting our eyes on the joy that awaits us.
- Run with endurance, by considering how Jesus endured opposition.
- Run with endurance, by treating hardship as the discipline of a loving father.
While that imagery is a powerful part of this chapter, perhaps you were drawn to the contrast between Mt. Sinai and Mount Zion. Or did God speak to you through the writer's details concerning hardship and discipline? Or is today a day to remember that "since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire. (v.12:28-29 NIV).
4 comments:
When Iread that Jesus was able to endure the cross because of the joy on the other side of his suffering it causes me to realize that I don't or can't fully comprehend that joy. It's kind of like someone offering you a reward of chocolate cake for the completion of a task. But, if you've never had chocolate cake before then you have no motivation to accomplish the challenge.
Is there a way to fully grasp the joy that is offered to us?
Perhaps it's also that I find some sick kind of joy in the sins that I am not willing to let go of. LIke I'm not willing to shave every hair off my body for any cause.
Perhaps you could take a Nazarite vow. Numbers 6:5 "They must never cut their hair throughout the time of their vow, for they are holy and set apart to the LORD. That is why they must let their hair grow long. (NLT)
I've been behind in my reading of Hebrews, but Monday morning God used my "behindness" to speak to me personally. As I read Ch12 Monday morning, God used verses 13 & 14 to convict me about the way I had treated my neighbor on Saturday. I had yelled at her over her dog being in my back yard. I justified my anger, because we've tried talking with the neighbor, but we still keep having this aggressive dog in our back yard. So, I really let her have it. She responded by finally giving me her word that it wouldn't happen again, and asking for my forgiveness. So, it took a couple of days of this nagging at me, and on Monday morning I read "Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:13,14 When I yelled at my neighbor, I was already aware that I was out of control, but felt like I couldn't calm down. Now, I could have sought Jesus to calm down, and I could have waited to speak to my neighbor. I called her Monday afternoon and apologized and asked for her forgiveness. She is a young Christian, and I wouldn't want my bad behavior to be a discouragement to her. I also felt God disciplining me to be strengthened, and not give in to anger.
Isn't it a great thing that God's Word applies to our lives, and so often right at the moment we need it.
The reason we initiated this NT read through was to encourage as many as possible to be in the text every day, if only for a few minutes. I know that many of those in this study already did that, but your experience reinforces for all of us the way God works through the text.
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