THE RACE SET BEFORE US

Hebrews 12: 1, 2

New Year’s Sermon by:

Rev. A. Stehouwer

PUBLISHED BY

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

OF THE

FREE REFORMED CHURCHES OF NORTH AMERICA.

(Re-Issued November 2004)

LITURGY:

Votum

Psalter 345

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12: 1 – 15

Text: Hebrews 12: 1, 2

Congregational Prayer

Offerings

Psalter 391

Sermon

Psalter 422: 6

Thanksgiving Prayer

Psalter 73: 1, 5, 6

Doxology: Psalter 315

This sermon can also be read on the first Sunday in January

Dear Congregation,

One …. Two …. Three …. Wait a minute! Yes, we are at the beginning of a New Year, and the

race is set before us. It is a long track this year, 365 days. But we do not just dash forward, do

we? Listen! “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author

and finisher of our faith.”

For the world 2005 will once again be a rat race and, we say with heartfelt regret,

therefore also a mad race with mounting problems, a race which eventually leads to perdition.

The believers, however, run the race of faith. This race is a holy race. And by looking unto Jesus,

they can run the race that is set before them, also the race of 2005, with patience. Only by

looking unto Jesus in faith can we face the unknown future with confidence.

We all find ourselves at the starting line of a New Year. But how are we going to start?

How are we to run this year? Before setting out we must pause for a moment to consider these

questions. Are we going to run in faith or without faith? To whom or what are we looking?

What is our goal? We may not run aimlessly.

THE RACE SET BEFORE US

  1. How to begin this race

2. How to continue this race

3. The goal of this race.

In chapter 10 of this epistle the apostle impresses upon the Hebrews the need for

endurance. Of this endurance he has given numerous illustrations in Chapter 11 .

All these men and women have shown in their lives what the endurance of faith means. By the

grace of God they persevered till the end. They too ran the race that was set before them. They

all ran in faith. Hence the Hebrews to whom this letter is addressed and we too are to run in faith.

We must begin as they began.

Of course it is possible to start running without faith. That is what many people are doing

also this year. But at the beginning we are told that all such running will be in vain. For what

does it profit a man if he runs to gain the world and he loses his soul? Hence the importance of

how to begin this race is impressed upon us most solemnly.

The text defines faith in terms of an athletic contest. The apostle Paul states the same idea

in several of his letters. He writes to the Corinthians: “Even so run that ye may attain.” (I, 9:24)

And to Timothy he writes: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the

faith” (II, 4:7). The people of that Greaco-Roman world were familiar with this kind of

language. Many had seen the runners at the famous Olympic and Isthmian games. Now the

apostle does not necessarily endorse these various sports. He only uses them to draw a profound

spiritual lesson from these races. The Greeks ran to obtain a “corruptible crown” but the

believers run to obtain the incorruptible crown of glory ( 1 Cor. 9: 25). Hence the race of faith is

by far superior to any other race. It has its own requirements and its own set of rules. These

requirements must be met and the rules followed if we are to run the race that is set before us

well. The Christian way of life is not watching a game but it means running a race. And how do

we now begin this race?

In the previous chapter faith is defined as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence

of things not seen”. Faith is knowing and trusting in God. “By faith” is the recurring phrase.

All the people who are mentioned in chapter 11 lived by faith and they died in faith. Thus faith

was the governing principle in their lives.

Now the Bible states very clearly that the governing principle in our lives is not faith but

sin. And sinners are people who do not believe God and His Word.

The Bible also shows us the serious nature of unbelief. For unbelief mean rejection of God and

of His Word, of the Lord Jesus Christ. In unbelief we resist the Holy Spirit. Thus unbelief is a

negative force which opposes God. Hence unbelief is never something neutral as many people

take it. Faith and unbelief are like two poles which reject one another. Scripture shows us the

true nature of faith but it also shows the true nature of unbelief and its end result.

In the text, however, the apostle continues to speak of faith and the endurance in faith.

Now faith is the gift of God which He freely grants. God works faith in our hearts by the Holy

Spirit, through His Word and the preaching of the Gospel.

By His Word and Spirit He also strengthens faith. In His Word the Lord calls us to faith and

repentance. Let us therefore begin by using the means which the Lord in His great mercy has

given us. He sets the race before us but He also provides what we need to run this race. Yes, we

are to begin running but we should remember that God begins first. In the text Jesus is called the

“author” or the “beginner”; He is also the finisher of our faith. Thus the text point us to God’s

beginning in Jesus Christ. He is the First, He is also the Last.

God Himself bore witness to all these men and women of faith. He bore witness in them to

His own work. Now they in turn bear witness to us of God’s faithfulness. They form as it were a

clout or host of witnesses around us. They are spoken of as a “cloud” or “host” because they are

numerous. They all ran their race and finished their course. They have fought the good fight of

faith and now they wear the victor’s crown of glory. We see here the Church triumphant which is

also the Church at rest. But all these witnesses continue to speak, not only to the Hebrews but to

us today. Their witness is a living testimony to the faithfulness of God.

Do you see large host of witnesses which surrounds us? Do you hear their testimony also

at the beginning of this year? When we look at the world around us, we become downhearted.

The outlook for this coming year is not very bright. We hear of war and rumors of war. The

tensions in the world are mounting and the problems are becoming heater. The dreadful weapons

which man has devised threaten our lives. Many parents are burdened when they think of what is

awaiting their children. Also the developments in our own country cause concern. The laws of

the land are not only modified but they are even in part nullified. And if the present trend

continues, we can expect more lawlessness and crime in the near future. The way for the

antichrist, the man of sin, is being prepared. There is very little indeed that inspires us when we

look around us in the world and also in the church.

Now these Hebrews were also troubled by what they saw around them and by the

persecutions which they experienced. Their outlook for the future too was not so bright. Ence

they should not look at the world around them but look at the clout of witnesses which surrounds

them. They should listen not to the reports of man but to the living testimony of these men and

women of faith. In unison they bear witness to the faithfulness of God. He is ever faithful.

Even our unfaithfulness will never make void the faithfulness of God. This truth of His Word is

seen in their lives. Ask Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets and so many more. Yes, all these

saints have proved God’s faithfulness which is very great. (Lam. 3: 23).

How do we begin the race that is set before us? We begin by listening to God who is

faithful. He tells us in the text that He sets the race before us. Thus the path we are to go is

known to Him. Whatever therefore awaits us we are to receive out of His Fatherly hand. In His

Word he not only reveals to us His faithfulness but also His Fatherly goodness. This great cloud

of witnesses therefore points us at the beginning to God the Father. He is a providing God.

Now we can start running? No, No! In the text God gives us a few more instructions.

Boys and girls, what are the leaders doing at the Sunday School picnic before the game start?

They give you instructions. They tell you what to do and what not to do. Every game begins with

instructions. Well, that is also the case here. The Lord wants us to listen carefully.

For the apostle continues: “ Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily

beset us”. Thus we are also told to lay aside or to cast away every weight. You cannot run well

and bear all kinds of weights at the same time. Hence these weights are the things which hinder

the runners. We too have our “weights” at the beginning of the year. There is much carnal

overweight within the church.

Let us therefore ask ourselves what these “weights” are that hinder us. Now it is not enough to

see these weights. No, but by the grace of God we must learn to lay them aside, to cast them

away. We may not make of the race that is set before us an obstacle race. I know that there can

be many obstacles. I also know that it is not easy to cast these weights, these obstacles away.

They are often the things which we cherish. The Bible tells us that eyes must be plucked out and

hands cut off in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is our attachment to things which makes

them weighty. Let us then begin today by casting away these weights which hinder us in running

the race. You are a professing member of the church?

Wonderful! But are you now also a professional runner by the grace of God? Is it your prayer

that the Lord will grant you the strength to cast away whatever hinders you?

Closely related to these weights is sin which so easily besets us. The apostle is not

referring so much to some specific sins but to sin itself, the sin within us. Believers are not free

from sin. Yes, they are called to be saints but they know themselves as sinners. Sin so easily

besets us because it dwells within us. The year is new but at the beginning of the new year we

are confronted with the old sins, the sins which remain against our will in us. These remaining

sins caused Paul to groan: “O wretched man that I am!” (Rom 7:24). Paul knew the wretchedness

of sin and he was troubled by it. Sin snares the runner in his course. Sin is the greatest hindrance

in running the race that is set before us. Hence we not only need God’s pardoning grace but also

His sanctifying grace by which we learn to fight against sin, cast off sin and thus break with sin.

It is impossible to run in faith and live in sin. Casting off sin is very much like pulling up weeds.

You are never fully done with it. Nevertheless, we are exhorted in the text to make a beginning.

But we are to begin in dependence upon God.

II. Here you also have the answer as to how we are to continue this race. We are to begin

and continue this race by looking unto Jesus. The runners at the Olympic races looked forward to

the end and the reward. The believers, however, are to look upward to Jesus who is presently

sitting at the right hand of the throne of God.

If you look around in the world, you become downhearted, I said. When you see what is

taking place within the churches you become dishearten or discouraged.

And when you look forward at the race that is set before you, the race of a whole year, you

perhaps fell like not setting out at all. The way is long and can be so difficult. Past experiences

have made you aware of this. Perhaps you can hardly face the old problems and how can you in

addition face new problems which might come up?

No, we do not have to ignore these things. The text does not say that we have to close our

eyes for the reality of life as we know it, this life spoiled by sin. The Bible is God’s revelation to

man. And to reveal means to lay bare, to open up. Hence in the Bible we have the most honest

account of life. It shows us what life was, what it now is because of sin and what life can become

by God’s redeeming grace. It speaks even of eternal life. “This is life eternal that they know

Thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent”.

However, amidst the reality of life the believers are exhorted to keep looking unto Jesus.

Jesus means Saviour. The name Jesus speaks of His humiliation. And as such He is also

portrayed in the text. “He endured the cross,” says the apostle. The cross that is the depth of His

humiliation.

We are to call to mind the scene of Golgotha as it is described in Scripture. He was led to

the cross and nailed on the cross. He hung there between heaven and earth, numbered among the

transgressors. For two thieves were crucified with Him, one on each side. His hands and feet

were pierced and His blood stained the ground. He was reviled and mocked by Jews and Romans

alike.

The cross! And while He hung on the cross, He was forsaken by God. During the three

hour darkness Jesus experienced the agonies of hell. And at the end of this period we hear Him

cry: “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Jesus endured the cross, despising the

shame. He suffered.

But how did Jesus suffer? He suffered as the Lamb of God, as the Sin-bearer of His

people. Upon Him the Lord has laid the iniquities of us all. He suffered in our place. The cross

speaks of His substitutionary work. He became the Surity of sinners. Hence He did not suffer as

a martyr. No, But He wanted to suffer and lay down His life to make atonement for sin. The

cross is the altar upon which the Lamb of God was slain. Good Friday is in truth the great day of

Atonement, the day of the great reconciliation between God and man. For on that day, there on

the cross, sin which makes separation between God and man was nailed to the cross and put out

of the way. And from the cross Jesus cried with a loud voice: “It is finished”. It is finished once

and for all.

And how do we now receive the benefits of Jesus’ saving work? You know the answer to

this question, do you not? The redemption which Jesus accomplished on the cross must be

applied. The application too is God’s work. For the Holy Spirit takes it out of Christ and shows it

unto us. He bestows it upon us. Thus Christ and His work must be received, embraced in faith.

The application is this that we begin to see our need of Jesus, that we turn to Him and that we

look to Him, keep looking to Jesus, the Lamb of God.

Do not take your eyes of Jesus. If you do, you are not able to run. For only in Jesus do you

find all you need. When sin besets and troubles you, there is only one remedy – looking unto

Jesus. He is the cross-bearer, the sin-bearer. He laid down His life that we may have life, have it

more abundantly.

This Jesus is now also called the author and finisher of the faith. He is also called the

“forerunner” ( Hebrews 6: 20). He has run the race that is set before us. He is the beginning and

the end. In Him faith reaches its most glorious height. In Him faith has reached its perfection. He

is in the fullest sense the Hero of faith. He too lived and died in faith. He knew God, He trusted

in God.

Do you now see what the apostle has been doing? He has portrayed the men and women

of faith. They form a cloud or host of witnesses around us. And of this host of witnesses Jesus is

the Captain. He is the First and the Last, He is the Head. Yes, we may glance at all these people

but we must keep looking to Jesus. He is the Captain of our salvation. These people might

inspire us but Jesus alone grants us all we need to run this race. He manifests His strength in our

weakness. By looking to Him, we can start running. By looking to Him we can continue to run