Title: Race of Faith! must win
Contents
Text Hebrew 12:1-12
Autumn is the season of reading, the season of harvest, the season of heaven and earth, and especially the season of sports. All sports events must be won for more joy, prize money and championship cups, and laughter and pride belong to the victor. Therefore, all sports must be won. Losers are miserable. The same is true of the religious life. All Christians are racers of faith. The race of faith must be won. In this life, we must overcome the circumstances, circumstances, and circumstances, and in the spiritual battle, we must defeat the enemy the devil.
That is why James 4:7 says, “Oppose the devil,” and Ephesians 6:11 says, “Put on the full armor of God in order to defeat the schemes of the devil.” Jesus also told believers to become overcomers, and about the reward that overcomers will receive, Revelation 3:17 says, “To him who overcomes, hidden manna and a white stone will be given.”
The writer of Hebrews presents the conditions necessary to win the race of faith.
First, we must remove the obstacles to the race of faith (verse 1).
I try to live my life of faith well and work hard, but there are a lot of obstacles, and there are two typical ones, one of which is “all heavy things”. The Greek word ‘onkos’ translated “heavy things” means a load, an obstruction, a bulky mass, etc. For example, worries, worries, and anxieties become heavy burdens in our religious life. If we live in the world, we cannot be without these heavy burdens, but it is difficult to do well in the race of faith carrying these burdens. Jesus also knew that we humans cannot properly run the race of faith under this burden, so he said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Lay down your burdens on the Lord. Don't worry about anything, and focus on the race of faith. Another is that we must cast off the “sin that easily entangles us.” When you believe in Jesus and repent for the first time, how rejoicing in your heart and body will you feel like flying away? Sin is a heavier burden than any heavy burden in this world. That is why Jesus Himself took up the cross and suffered to take away the burden of this sin. And you said “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).
We cannot complete the race of faith because prayer, devotion, worship, and obedience do not work properly after bearing the burden of sin. So we must repent of our sins and be free from sin.
Second, the race of faith must have a clear goal (verse 2).
Verse 2 “Look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” Jesus is the goal. Just as you need a blueprint before building, so you need to have a clear goal in running the race of faith. The ultimate goal of the saints is neither money nor fame. Only Jesus Christ. Saint Francis, a famous saint in Christian history, was kicked out of the house after being scolded by his father for believing in Jesus. Pray all week, “Lord, who are you?” “Why do I have to suffer like this?” But within a week, the voice of the Lord came. “Jesus died on the cross for you. I will grant you what you want.” At that time, Francis became possessed by the powerful power of the Holy Spirit, and his worries, worries, and tears until now disappeared and confessed like this. Let's all confess, "All I need is the Lord." “All we need is the Lord.”
Yes, if you look to Jesus, the main and perfecter of your faith, and run the race of faith, you can win.
Third, the racers of faith must persevere to the end.
In the second half of verse 2, “with patience we run the race that is set before us.” The race of faith requires perseverance and perseverance to the end. How easy is life in the world? Sometimes it's smooth, but sometimes it's turbulent like a stormy sea. You have to persevere and win.
Even in the case of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, they left Egypt and lived in the wilderness for 40 years, living with hope in the land of Canaan. From a spiritual point of view, Egypt means this world, wilderness means church life, and Canaan means heaven. Just because you were healed in Egypt, you do not immediately enter the land of Canaan, but you must live in the wilderness. The wilderness life was full of words, work, hardships, and many events. So, in the middle, many people became frustrated and died while complaining and grumbling, and they even made and served a golden calf and were cursed.
The race of faith is like the wilderness life of the Israelites and the church life of Christians. The racecourse of faith is not a place where only angels gather, and of course it is not heaven. So you have to be patient to the end.
Hebrews 10:38, “If I turn back, my heart will not rejoice in him.” 3