Title: The True Winner
Contents
a real winner
(April 22, 2012 (week) 9 am and 11 am sermon)
Hymns: 10, 358, 359
<Let's all become true winners.>
Ladies and gentlemen, the book of Hebrews was written to strengthen the faith of Hebrew Christians who were trying to return to Judaism among the believers of the early church. So, the essence of faith and the glorious forebears that are examples of faith are mentioned in Chapter 11. These are the glorious forefathers who lived only by faith. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel, and the prophets, I will not have enough time to speak (32). After that, the text urges us to engage in the race of faith with the attitude of a player. The Bible compares our religious life to a sports game in many places. The Apostle Paul also compared Christians to athletes in his epistles, as Corinthians were in a culture where sports were easily accessible. If Christians have the right player attitude, they will be real winners in the race of faith. We want to receive grace by examining the attitude of a racer of faith.
First of all, before we get into the race, it is our priority to cast off all our burdens and the sins that easily entangle us.
1 For this reason we have a multitude of witnesses surrounding us like a cloud, putting off every burden and the sin that so easily entangles us, and with perseverance run the race set before us,
In order to run well and win the race, you need to be light. Don't run in bulky clothes. The same is true of faith. In the race of faith, all unnecessary obstacles must be removed. The word 'every heavy thing' here is the Greek word onkos, which means burden or handicap, and refers to the obstacles to the athlete's performance. For example, even long hair is an obstacle for swimmers, and cumbersome clothing for runners. But here we mean the spiritual obstacles that hinder the saints from running the race of faith to the full measure of Christ. It is the greed of man who is obsessed with the world and the troubles of life. And by extension, this includes the ceremonial law, which is a heavy bruise on the way to true salvation.
Also, ‘sin that is easily entangled’ refers to the sins that are located around us, that is, the various sins that exist around us. It refers to the sins we commit through our environment and customs and our fellowship. If we make a mistake, we can fall into such a sin at any time, but once we sin, the sin keeps us entangled. Therefore, the saints should always be vigilant spiritually so that they do not become entangled in such sins.
In Acts 5:1-14, there is a story of Ananias and Sapphira in the early church deceiving the Holy Spirit, deceiving the church, deceiving the apostle Peter, and disregarding God, and they were immediately put to death.
Repentance is a change of heart and a change of behavior. This is a deep realization of the sins of the past life and turning away from the old life. A person who repents is sincere before a righteous God and has a earnest desire to be saved from the curse of sin. He is a man prepared to sacrifice, serve, and run according to the will of God.
Now, in preparation for the game, we must cast off the 'heavy things' and 'sin' that are entrenched in our religious and daily lives. You have to take it off as you would take off old clothes. As a runner, you cannot run unless you cast off heavy things and the sins that are easily entangled in your religious life.
Second, from the moment you enter the race, you have to be patient and persevere until the end.
1. With perseverance we run the race set before us,
If a player in a match gives up midway, he will be disqualified. When players are struggling and want to give up, they have to run through the end while looking at the goal.
Likewise, even in the race of faith, perseverance is needed not to get frustrated or stop in the midst of adversity and despair. Racers of faith must persevere and run until they receive the final crown, until they win the final victory.
Hymn 360 1 The marching trumpet has called the Lord's command, so let's go out with the flag of the cross high
Refrain) We will fight the good fight and dictate the crown of righteousness and the crown of righteousness.
Fighting the good fight, in the city of Jerusalem, the crown of righteousness,
Receive the crown, that cross the Jordan, on the day our battle is over, the crown of righteousness in the city of Jerusalem.
3. After all the battles are over, run along the way, enjoy the joy with the Lord, warriors. Chorus) ...
Finally, when you run the race while looking only at Jesus until the end, you become a real winner.
2 Let us look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Think of him who endured rebellion against
Jesus Christ is the “perfecter” of our faith. He is the perfecter of grace, and He is the One who works the work of faith with power in the believer. He rejoiced to see that God's damaged justice was restored through his suffering, and the way to salvation was opened by establishing peace between God and man. We should always look to the Lord and meditate deeply on Him. Because the Lord intercedes for His people forever.
Jesus was crucified to obey God and shed His precious blood on the cross to save us from our sins. The Lord endured the suffering of the cross for the glory of the resurrection. He didn't mind any shame. I pray in the name of the Lord that we can all become true victors from the Lord and live a life that is praised by the Lord by being able to endure the difficulties of the present and run to the end, thinking about the crown that is ultimately given if the goal of faith is clear.
Prayer: Merciful Heavenly Father, thank you for making us run toward a clear goal by looking only at the Lord Jesus of faith. Like the forefathers of faith, please help me to finish the race of faith well and become the one who gets the final victory. We pray in the name of Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Amen.