God is looking for runners not weightlifters

18 July 2016

HEBREWS 12:1-2
INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................. 2
CHAPTER 12 IN CONTEXT...............................................................................2
A BOOK ABOUT BATTLING UNBELIEF........................................................................................2
A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES THE GREAT HALL OF FAITH.....................................................3
A CALL TO RUN.............................................................................................. 3
SIN CLINGS....................................................................................................................... 4
1. Habitual Sins....................................................................................................... 4
2. Deceptive Sins.................................................................................................... 4
3. Lovable Sins....................................................................................................... 4
4. Private Sins......................................................................................................... 4
GOD IS NOT LOOKING FOR WEIGHT-LIFTERS.............................................................................5
WERE NOT THE ONLY RUNNERS............................................................................................. 5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................. 6

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INTRODUCTION
At Christmas time its a lot easier to get sucked into the pleasures of this planet and lose an
eternal perspective. A sermon for New Years resolutions

CHAPTER 12 IN CONTEXT
A BOOK ABOUT BATTLING UNBELIEF
Biggest problem in the Hebrew church: unbelief they had drifted in their faith
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away
from ithow shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation (Hebrews 2:1-3)
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to
fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called
today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come
to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. (Hebrews 3:1214)
About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of
hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you
again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, (Hebrews
5:11-12)
And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of
hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith
and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:11-12)
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled
clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the
confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:2223)
But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle
with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes
being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you
joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a
better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which
has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of
God you may receive what is promised. For, Yet a little while, and the coming one will
come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my
soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed,
but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. (Hebrews 10:32-39)
Hebrews puts both Jesus and our salvation in proper perspective
Greater than angels, Moses, Joshua, Aaron; making promises which can never be annulled,
delivering a greater covenant to us, with greater consequences if we do not heed the warnings
offered to us.
In our lives we dont want to drift from one year to the next.
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A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES THE GREAT HALL OF FAITH

We find ourselves in an amphitheatre
16 people specifically mentioned in Hebrews 11: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac,
Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel
6000 years-worth of men and women who have gone before us in this world.
They surround us.
What are they expecting us to do?
What are they telling us?
What are they screaming out to us?
Why are we here?
They are screaming out RUN!
(Eg. diamonds on the gateway fields people without cars) a reason for running
Their witness is this: Jesus is worth running for! Believe his promises believe in him!
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and
greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the
earth. (Hebrews 11:13)
eg. plane trip photos, mirror, posters, toothbrush (Randy Alcorns illustration)
If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had
opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
(Hebrews 11:15-16)
And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,
since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made
perfect. (Hebrews 11:39-40)

A CALL TO RUN
The Christian life is like a race.
The writer to the Hebrews does not begin by saying therefore let us sit or let us sleep
or let us eat he says LET US RUN.
NB: The Christian life is not like:
Table tennis, volleyball, a touch rugby game, a beach outing, a banquet, a LAN party, a
wedding.

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SIN CLINGS
Example of Pompey: people running from Mt. Vesuvius.
In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
(Hebrews 12:4)

1. Habitual Sins
Definition: sins which become harder to stop the more you succumb to them (eg. sheep and
leopard)
Obvious Examples: Pornography, drinking, masturbation
But in reality all sin is habitual. Sin wants to cling to you.

2. Deceptive Sins
Sexual sin (the lie is that it wont hurt anyone/doesnt matter/doesnt have consequences)
Lying & Gossip (the lie: theyll never find out so it doesnt matter). Sin is deceptive. Eve
was deceived!

3. Lovable Sins
Sins which bring great pleasure, eg. flirting, gossiping, indulging
Consider Moses and the fleeting pleasures of sin the pleasure of sin is fleeting

4. Private Sins
The lie is that noone knows but God tells us, And no creature is hidden from his sight, but
all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews
4:13). Private sins have public consequences.
The biggest sin well have to face is the sin of UNBELIEF it is the root of all other sins.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must
believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Unbelief manifests itself in many ways:
1. Is God good?
2. Does he really love me?
3. Is he wise?
4. Can I trust him?
5. Is it really worth it?
How should we deal with unbelief? Look to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith
he not only gave us our faith he sustains it to the end - and will prepare us for heaven.
But how can we look to Jesus when we cannot see him?
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews
11:1)
We can know that he endured the cross for us and rose again for the joy that was set
before him was it worth it? You bet it was worth it.
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GOD IS NOT LOOKING FOR WEIGHT-LIFTERS

Example of running in a tux or chicken suit may seem comfortable or funny initially but
later
Its NOT enough to ask, is it sinful?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Computer games
Facebook, twitter, youtube, email (how many times a day do you check your email?)
Movies
TV series
Music ipod, perpetual noise/distraction
Novels, magazines
Playing sport/games golf, volleyball, soccer, cards (Once, when I was in my
middle twenties, I played five days and five nights without any breaks except to go to
the bathroom or to eat meals which were brought in. I never left the table for more
than five minutes. Doyle Brunson on poker)
8. Watching sport soccer worldcup, rugby, Brad & Super14
9. Exercise running, gymning, time spent on your body
10. Shopping
11. Socialising parties, dinners, games evenings, etc.
12. Eating living from one meal to the next
13. Sleeping how long do you sleep for?
14. Collecting stamps, coins, photos, dvds, cds, books, shells
Some folk say were living in an age of technology but humans have always been living in
an age of technology. The next generation will look upon this one and laugh at the stuff we
thought was the business.
Take time out to identify your weights and sins write a list.
Not enough to ask, Is it sinful?
At the Olympics, what kind of sponsors did the Greeks use? They ran naked.

WERE NOT THE ONLY RUNNERS

Everyones race is different but we run together!
Some people shut the mouths of lions others were eaten by them.

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CONCLUSION
1. The Christian life is a race expect it to be tough! But expect it to be worth it in the
end!
2. Running requires ruthlessness God is not looking for weight-lifters throw off
everything that hinders. Not enough to ask the question, Is it sinful?
3. Running requires endurance - and Endurance needs faith:
A. the race is not forever everything needs to be weighed in the scales of eternity
B. there is a prize for finishing we need to believe in the prize
C. we do not run alone others have run ahead of us and are waiting for us!
And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was
promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they
should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:39-40)
D. Christ gives us the legs we need to run we have every reason to trust him
He is both the founder and perfecter of our faith

You only run once. Dont waste your race.

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