Hebrews 12: 1-3 New International Version (NIV)
12 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, 2 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. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from
sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
“They Are Watching Us”
Let me start with this statement. If you are a believer in Jesus, I can
guarantee that someone in your life had something to do with that. It’s a
very rare circumstance where someone comes to Christ on their own. I am
certain it happens, but few of us have a Saul to Paul conversion while on
the road of life. In almost every case, someone had an influence on us in
any number of ways.
Today is Father’s Day. I would like to believe that some of you, I hope
many of you, were influenced in your walk with Christ by your father.
Many of our Fathers have gone on to be with the Lord already. My hope is
that this message will give you some ideas as to how to honor the work
they’ve done in your life. If they are still here, then this might give you
some ways to honor them while they can still see it. In both cases, they are
watching us.
So, who is this cloud of witnesses? Who is it that is observing our race?
Commentators give us a couple possibilities here. It could be that it refers to those who have witnessed to the faith – in other words, those who have
lived and testified about it while on earth, OR… it refers to something like a
stadium full of spectators watching the believers of today.
And of course it may be both ideas, kind of like a relay race where those
who have finished their leg and handed over the baton are watching and
encouraging those behind them. But at the same time this is all happening
in a stadium where others are watching. There is no denying the imagery
here of running a race in the presence of those who have gone before us.
I like that imagery. My history as an athlete on the track makes it easy for
me to imagine this crowd. It’s easy to imagine as we talk about those who
have gone before us. Who makes up this cloud of witnesses, and how can
we honor their legacy in our lives. Who is watching us?
The cloud of witnesses, the people watching us, are those who have given
their lives for our country. This isn’t the main intent of the passage, but the
fact of the matter is that we can meet here today and worship because
others gave their lives for our freedom. Brave men and women laid down
their lives so you and I can worship Christ as we see fit, without the threat
of arrest, imprisonment, death, or torture. Many of these people were
believers and followers of Jesus when they went to serve and died
following Christ.
Back to that cloud, the ones watching. Let’s be certain to include those
who have given their lives for the faith. The chapter prior to our reading
today, Hebrews 11, describes a bunch of people from biblical history.
There are many who have given their lives since then and continue to do
so. Many, many people who identify themselves as Christians die every day, for no other reason than that they call themselves Christians. From
our viewpoint here in the U.S., it’s almost impossible for us to imagine, in
these times, that a person could be prosecuted for being a Christian.
Unfathomable isn’t it.
Christian workers around the world work tirelessly to bring the good news
of Jesus to those who either haven’t heard it yet or to those who have
heard it but haven’t yet believed. They spend their lives for the sake of
Christ; pastors, missionaries, volunteers, evangelists, all making it their
mission to bring glory to Christ by doing their part to advance the Kingdom
of God. These people are worthy of our respect and honor.
Here’s a third possibility as to who might be part of that cloud of witnesses:
those who have given of their lives for your faith. These are the people
who have invested themselves in you for the sake of Christ. They prayed
for you. They prayed with you. They shared God’s Word with you and
showed you how to make that Word real in your life. They lived a life that
set a godly example in good times and bad. They gave of themselves in
any number of ways – time, counsel, maybe even money – because they
believed in you and believed that you could be someone for Christ.
In my own life, I can point out my father and mother, Donald and Wilma. I
mention them specifically because if they ever hear this message, they’ll
know that I recognize their investment in my life.
Donald was not one to speak about God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit but he
defined one of my favorite sayings about spreading the word. Preach the
Gospel always, when necessary use words. Donald taught me that you
just do the right thing. No need for discussion. You already know in your heart what is right. Do it. My mother, Wilma, taught me about faith.
Predetermination. Presbyterianism. Reading the Bible. Being brave for
the Gospel.
The example I am most likely to conjure as I think of the Cloud of
Witnesses is the church community in which I grew up, we grew up. Given
the history of what the Presbyterian Church in the Upper Ohio Valley has
done, and continues to do, how dare I do anything else but to run the race
with perseverance? If you grew up elsewhere and were relocated here in
The Valley, I feel safe in saying that you, too, had a community of faith that
is watching you as you run your race.
None of us are perfect Christians, we know that is impossible. But if we are
anything for Christ, it has to do with what the people of our church
communities were willing to invest in us. My hope is that if they are here,
that they understand the support they provided as we attempt to finish the
race well. If they are watching from heavenly grandstands I hope they
approve of our performance in the race.
I’m guessing that as I say these things, many of you are thinking of some
who have done the same for you. Some of them may be in heaven now,
watching and cheering for you. Some of you here have invested in the
lives of others, whether they’re here today or somewhere else. You know
the blessing of seeing lives changed for Christ, and you hope that this will
get passed on to other generations so that as you join that cloud, you can
cheer on those who continue for Christ.
Our warriors who’ve died, our Christian soldiers who are out spreading the
word, our supporters in our lives, those are just a portion of who might be sitting in that great cloud of witnesses, watching us, but what does that
have to do with us today?
The passage speaks of running a race. The idea is that we should live our
lives, run our race, in such a way that we can give them something to cheer
about! As a result, we honor Jesus and those who have gone before us.
The best way to give a memorial to those folks who have gone to be with
Jesus is to live a life of love and loyalty to Him.
“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily
entangles…” We must lay aside the stuff that holds us back, “the sin that
so easily entangles”.
When we act in ways that go against the Scriptures. The Bible says don’t
do it and you do it, or the Bible says to do it and you don’t do it. We’ve all
done it and we all do it. It is very likely we will continue to do it. And no
amount of rationalization is going to make it any better.
We set aside that sin by submitting ourselves completely to Christ, allowing
the Holy Spirit to fill us completely – this allows Him to transform our minds
and change our hearts to want to be obedient and to have the power to be
obedient.
“everything that hinders…” These are those things that the Bible doesn’t
necessarily call sin, but that can get in the way. It’s not illegal to run the
110 meter high hurdles wearing a snow-mobile suit and huge snow-shoes.
But you’re not going to win the OVAC that way. So you actually wear
clothes that are conducive to running the race well. These hindrances are
the things that might get in the way of you living for Christ fully. It might be
a relationship, it might be what you allow into your life in terms of entertainment, it might be the scramble for money, it might be any number
of things. But you know that you can probably live for Christ better without
these things.
“Run with perseverance…” Be intentional about the race, run with purpose,
not aimlessly. When you run aimlessly, you just end up wasting a lot of
energy but not really getting anywhere. You need to be intentional about it
because there will be times you’ll want to just give up. We all hit those
walls from time to time. We find ourselves in a circumstance when all of the
pat answers and bumper-sticker theology falls flat. We wonder if living for
Christ is really worth it.
Our friends can tell us it’s worth it, and our own experience from the past
can tell us the same thing. But the important thing to remember is that
Jesus Himself demonstrated that it is worth it.
“…who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jesus understands more than you can imagine. He knew what was coming
and still went through with it. Because He saw and knew what the results
would be. “The joy set before Him” wasn’t the cross. The joy was what the
cross would accomplish – the redemption of sinful people.
Yes, it was tough – unspeakably tough. But it was worth it for Him. It was
worth it for Him to die, so that you and I might live – and live through the
hard times. It takes perseverance – but because of Christ we can do it.
We honor Christ, and those who have gone before us, by focusing on
Jesus. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…”. The issue here isn’t really to honor those who have gone before,
but to run the race with our eyes fixed on Christ.
He is the author and perfecter. If we want to make sure that we’re running
the race correctly, we must focus on Him. He stands at the finish line,
waiting to welcome us as we cross over, waiting to bring us into His
glorious heaven where we’ll be in His presence forever and ever, where
there’ll be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more death, no more
disappointment, no more getting let down by others or letting others down.
And in the meantime we continue to run, getting help from God Himself to
run well, in spite of the obstacles, by focusing on Christ. Getting support
from His Word, and as we focus on Him and live for Him, we give that cloud
of witnesses something to cheer about.
But remember too that you are leaving a legacy. Whether you know it or
not, and whether you want to or not, you are leaving a legacy for those
behind you. Will they see a person who talked a good race but didn’t really
run it, or will they see someone who followed Jesus through thick and thin,
living for Him in every circumstance?
If you are the first leg of the 4x400 you run your lap and then hand the
baton to the next leg. You are now a spectator. Will you be judged by your
teammates to have run your race well?
Did you finish your part of the race with perseverance? Finished it in a way
that brings honor to Christ and gives others something to emulate in their
own lives?
Perseverance requires intent. You must plan to be successful and you
must be persistent in your work, in your race. You must be deliberate,
intentional.
Be intentional about running in a way that blesses those behind you.
Be intentional about running in a way that as others follow your tracks,
they’ll find Christ.
Be intentional about running in a way that shows others that you are
anticipating being part of that cloud someday yourself.
When you look back, do you see the ways you have helped others find
Christ and live for Him, or do you cringe as you see things in your life that
have impacted them negatively for Christ?
No matter what the case, we can go forward from this moment on, intent
upon running well for the sake of those who follow behind us.
Folks, we have a lot on our plates at this time of year, graduation parties
and graduations, vacations, summer jobs, gardens, severe weather,
weddings, and all sorts of things.
Let us remember our fathers. Our mothers, our friends and leaders and
teachers. Remember those who are here with us and those who have left
this earth, to especially remember and thank God for those who invested
their lives for the sake of Christ in each of us.
Take a moment to ask the Lord to help you be the same kind of person for
those who come behind you. Remember, they are watching us…
Amen and Amen