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"What NOT to Carry"
Hebrews 12:1-3

I have a problem. I just heard my wife laugh, because she is probably thinking to herself, "Just one, I know of quite a few."

Thankfully, my problem is not my wife. Actually my problem is that I can tend to overdo things some time. For example; Since we live by the Gulf of Mexico, we love going to the beautiful white sand beaches and enjoy a nice afternoon. However, I like to bring along, and feel it is absolutely necessary that we bring the following items:

• Our rafts, which of course need to be inflated, so that means a pump as well
• Our two beach towels
• A sheet to lie on
• Two pairs of aqua socks
• Two pairs of snorkels and masks
• Protection 8 suntan lotion
• Protection 4 suntan lotion
• Vaseline lip therapy
• A thermos of water
• A walkman
• A watch
• Something to eat
• A computer magazine
• Two pair of sunglasses
• and a beach ball

Not that all sounds fine and good, however, try carrying all of that from your second story apartment down to the car, then finding a place in the trunk to put it, then locating a nice hectare or 2 of beach front in which to place this gaggle of neoprene beach wonders. By the time everything is in place, the day is half over. And when I put all of this wonderful, experience enhancing equipment on, I about sink to the bottom of the sea as if someone had tied a large granite tombstone to my chest inscribed with the words "Here lies Evan Baltz, who drowned because of his desire for superfluous beachware. He couldn’t just swim like everyone else." Ah yes, I turn what should be and enjoyable relaxing day into a job suitable for Mayflower movers. That is the humorous side of this problem, but I believe that there are more serious manifestations of this same behavior that we all exhibit to some degree.

The author of Hebrews apparently recognized this as well.

If you have a Bible please turn to Hebrews chapter 12:1-3. You will want to keep this passage in front of you, because we will be referring to it extensively, and you may even want to underline a phrase or two.

Before we look at the text however, we should say a word about the author of Hebrews. Okay, here is a word, ANONYMOUS. We really don’t know who wrote the book. Some have speculated that it was Paul, but no consensus has ever been reached. More importantly perhaps is then who the book was written to. The internal and external evidence points to Jewish Christians living in Italy somewhere around the late 60’s AD. "Whew," you are thinking, "I guess that leaves me off the hook." Not quite. The Bible is God’s Word to all mankind for all time, so, that should include you. I want you to assume that God has placed this particular passage in scripture specifically for YOU. Because, in a sense, he has done just that.

The author has put together a series of exhortations, which on the pleasant side are "encouragements" and on the more direct side can also be looked at as "warnings." Apparently the author feels that there are some Christians in danger of giving up there faith because of either persecution (although not that intense) or perhaps just because of the everyday pressure of the world around them. (with sarcasm) Thankfully, in our day in age, we Christians don’t feel pressure to be like the world. Right.

Within these three verses then are 2 encouragements and one encouraging command. Lets look at each one of them more closely.

Look at verse 1 and follow along with me. "Therefore" STOP. When you see the word "therefore" in scripture, don’t you even think about reading on!

Lets say that you are a little late for an important meeting at your office, when you arrive the first words you here are, "Therefore we are going to have to cut all employee salaries in half." Now, I think that you might want to know what preceded that "therefore". And in fact you would most likely seek to find out what had just been said by asking the person closest to you. The same applies here to scripture, when you see "therefore" the author is begging you to back up and make sure you have read what has just been said. So quickly look back at chapter 11. It is the great FAITH chapter in which the author takes us on a historical museum of great acts of faith displayed by His people. The author recounts for us how many of God’s people have remained faithful, even in the face of extremely difficult circumstances. Then he begins in chapter 12,

The author is reminding the readers that they are not alone, many many people, plain old people, just like them have remained faithful to God, and now are in fact like a home crowd of spectators cheering us on. Just like a Wildcats game.

I spent some time in the mountains of Wyoming. The first range we came to was the Big Horns. The Big Horns are known for being steep and for having big drop-offs along the road. As we started up the mountain, its started to getting foggy, and mean it was foggy. The higher we went, the thicker it got. It got so that we couldn’t even see out either side of the car. I decided this wasn’t so bad though, because then she didn’t have to see the steep cliffs we were close to driving off because I couldn’t even see the hood of the car.

Like that mountain fog we encountered, the author uses the word "nephos" translated "cloud" which literally means a thick, gray shapeless mass which covers the heavens. It is a word which is not used anywhere else in scriptures, which makes it an interesting choice of words here. The author is creating a visual image in the minds of his readers, and that image is of a sky or heaven filled with saints surrounding us with their testimonies.

With that encouragement as a back drop then, the author begins his first exhortation. Because we have gone from Greek to English here, it will be helpful for us to reconstruct verse one to help us better understand exactly what the author is saying.

This sentence doesn’t really have a parallel in English because when we want to encourage someone, we say something like, "Hang in there" or "Stay strong" or something like that. The sentence begins with a command form of a verb with an implied "You" as the subject, so it would read "You hang in there". Greek has another form of speech called the hortatory subjunctive, you don’t need to know what it is called, but it is important to understand what it means. The verb in the sentence is "Run", but it is not a command, as we have already stated, it is an "exhortation" and it is to be translated with the words "Let us" in front of it. The subject of the sentence thus becomes, the all inclusive us. You, me, the author, everyone is encouraged to run. The word for run here is "Trecho" as in "Star Trek". The rest of the sentence explains "what" we are to run, and "how" we are to run. Lets look at the "what" first.

What are we encouraged to run? "The race." The word agona is translated here as race. It is the word from which we get agony. It implies a conflict or battle or fight, not just a simple contest of some kind. This sports metaphor is a familiar one in the New Testament, and was no doubt a popular subject during what was the height of the ancient Olympics which featured running events. The 4-man bobsled, luge, and synchronized swimming hadn’t quite been invented yet, so the author here, like Paul in Philippians 3, is comparing the Christian life to an athletic struggle or race. Hopefully the people of his day weren’t watching the Olympic coverage on CBS, because then they would probably have only seen the race on tape delay, the actual live coverage being pre-empted for an up-close story about how the Olympic wreaths were made or how the wineskin and pomegranate concessions were doing. Nonetheless, the readers of Hebrews would be quite familiar with the "race" theme which also relates well with the author’s use of the great cloud of witnesses, like spectators in the stands.

Okay we are to run the race, but which race exactly? Look back at the text. We are to run the "race MARKED OUT FOR US."

A few years ago, an unknown woman won the Boston marathon. She came across the finish line to cheers and puzzled faces. It was later found out, that this woman had taken a cab across town and then jumped on the marathon course ahead of all the other runners and then just trotted in the last mile or so to win the race. Of course, once this was discovered, she was stripped of her prize and it was given to the woman who had really won, the woman who had followed the course as it had been laid out.

We are to run and keep on running the race "which has been marked out for us." That is, the course that Jesus has set before us, as we will discuss in a moment. We cannot take short cuts or cabs across town in an attempt to cheat our way to the finish line. We must run the course set before us. There are no short cuts to a righteous life of faith. It is a struggle the whole way through. Everything today it seems is a short cut. We are so hung up on easier and faster ways to do things. I mean first there was "Next day" photo shops, then came one hour photo, then half-hour photo, now I have even seen a 10 minute photo shop. I mean what is this, these aren’t spy photos of Cuban troop movements, its Harry and June at Disney. What is our fascination with speed and short cuts? That is the whole principle behind the "Cliff" note books, and the 8 items or less check out, and phones with speed dial. Our world encourages and fosters this attitude which holds that a person should never have to wait, never have to patiently proceeded, never have to work hard for anything. But this is not the Christian way, the Christian is called to run the race or more accurately persevere in the struggle, the same struggle Jesus went through, the same struggle Moses went through etc etc.

So the author encourages us to run the race marked out for us, but he doesn’t just leave it at that, he gives us some great help in telling us exactly how we are to run the race. The first one, we have already alluded to, and that is, we are to run the race "with perseverance."

In the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, there was a Swiss woman in the marathon who came in the stadium for her final 400 meters. She was no longer running, in fact she was barely walking. Fatigue and oxygen debt had caused her to slow to a agonizing limp. As she progressed slowly around the track, she became worse and worse. The race officials walked along beside her asking her if she wanted help. She waved them away. She would not be denied finishing the race. With the crowd roaring their support she finally crossed the finish line and collapsed to the ground. Her desire to persevere and finish the race was nothing short of inspirational. Despite the agony and the pain and the fatigue, she finished the race, she persevered. The author of Hebrews calls upon us to run with just that kind of perseverance or steadfast endurance, no matter the circumstances.

Seeing what we think are injustices, or loosing a loved one, or being made fun of for being a Christian, or even being afflicted with a disease are all troubling experiences, but none of them is an excuse to quit. I have experienced some of those, and sometimes the pressure, and the urge to just give up and give in is so great, you can almost swear you hear Satan screaming it in your ear. But the author says, look around you, these people, the saints of times past, and now, even the people in the seat next to you, they have been through it or are going through it too. Your fight is their fight. Your struggle is their struggle. You are not alone, by any means. So be encouraged and run, with perseverance!

The other suggestion as to how to run the race, should be a given, but the author knows all to well that it isn’t. As with my beach going fiascoes, a runner would surely not attempt to run with anything on his body that would hinder his progress. You don’t see Carl Lewis running with headphones and hipwaiters. In fact most athletes wear specially designed super-slick garments that form tightly to the body, so as to reduce every possible obstruction. Swimmers shave their bodies and heads shaved to reduce drag, bicyclists wear specially designed headgear and ride aerodynamic bikes all in the attempt to get rid of every possible thing which might impede their progress, no matter how minuscule it may be. The ancients understood this philosophy as well, as the ancient runners actually ah, well literally threw off everything before they ran.

As I said, this should be a given, but the author reminds us gently that we must remember to get rid of these things which "hinder," literally, these things which weigh us down.

What weighs you down? Are you more interested in financial matters than your walk with God? Do you feel like you have to have the latest and greatest everything? Do you get hung up on details, and fail to see the big picture sometimes? Does the busyness of the day keep you from spending time with God? Perhaps its even more subtle like hidden motives in your heart, bitterness, a long held grudge, or an unforgiving spirit. What are the hindrances in your life, which are adding baggage to your walk with the Lord? In and of themselves they may be legitimate, but we must ask ourselves how they effect our relationship with God.

Of course that which hinders our progress the most is SIN. The author says the "sin which so easily entangles us." Almost as if we court the sin, because we allow it to entangle us so easily. Failing to rid ourselves of sin, is like attempting to run a race dressed in a snowmobile suit, tied in a sleeping bag, chained in a crate, locked in a vault and thrown into quick sand. We ain't gonna get to far. When you get married some people tell you that you are strapping on the "old ball and chain." (Actually its a little bit more like the old credit card and blank check), No, seriously my wife isn’t like that at all. But anyway, the analogy is that a ball and chain strapped on to your leg prevents you from moving, and so does sin. Even sins like pride, jeolousy and selfishness mire us down, and suck us in. We must break away from sin and leave it behind. Its a struggle and a fight every day, but we are new creations in Christ and we are to leave the old sin nature, the true ball and chain, behind, and run and keep on running the race.

The form of the word translated here as "throw-off" also implies that it is an action you must take yourself, that is, it is reflexive. You, yourself must remove whatever is hindering you, you must get rid of sin, and, the word implies you must do it now, it is a definite act. Don’t say to yourself, "Well, in time I will be able to forgive that person who wronged me," or "Someday I will stop smoking." Do it now, throw it off now!

The next exhortation begins in verse 2. The first exhortation was to run the race, verse 2 begins:

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, 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.

Here we have another one of those hortatory subjunctives, and this time the author is encouraging us to take our eyes off of whatever they may be currently focused on, like perhaps pornography or that new car or the weekend social event or whatever it might happen to be at any given moment, and instead focus our attention or FIX our eyes on Jesus. We must turn our eyes from the world that seeks to distracts us with all kinds of bells and whistles, and instead look toward Jesus and focus on Him. He is our example, and now he awaits us at the finish line with our reward. That reward is more precious than gold , silver or bronze too, it is eternal life with him.

If you have ever seen the special Olympics, you have seen a tremendous example of this. As the disabled and handicapped children are lined up for a race, there coach goes to the finish line to wait for them. The runners eyes are so intent on that coach at the end of the race who is waiting for them with outstretched arms. It is a powerful picture of how are eyes should be looking toward Jesus, who, as the author states, is the pioneer and perfector of our faith.

Jesus perfected us through his faith and his agonizing death on a cross and subsequent resurrection. He blazed the trail we are to follow. He endured so that we could endure. He rejected the shame, so that we could reject shame, and he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, so we could join with him in heaven. He accomplished the goal, so that we could see how to accomplish it. Jesus is our perfect example, our perfect coach, to keep the metaphor going.

There is another key element to this verse. The word translated "sat down" is a word in the perfect tense. This tense in Greek indicates that it is an action which was completed in the past, but the results of which continue into the present. Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension to the throne are all past tense, but the implications and results of those actions continue to the present, and how! Now that is an one encouraging reminder!

Finally, we come to verse 3 and the only command in the passage.

At first glance that doesn’t look like a very difficult command, consider. However, this is the only usage of this word in the Bible. It is a complex word, but basically it means to estimate carefully or contemplate. There is a mathematical element (of which Greeks are notorious for) included in the word as well, indicating how precisely and thoughtfully we are to consider. But what terrible fate are we to contemplate? No, the author commands us to consider for our own encouragement. We are to consider Jesus and what he went through for us so that we can stay strong and not lose heart.

When someone goes out of their way for you, it will often inspire you to do the same, the author says that if we think about all that Jesus did for us, how he suffered unjustly and the hands of men, and was nailed to a tree, and descended into hell and bore our sins, it will serve as one awesome encouragement to remain faithful and persevere. Christ perseverance, portrayed in that perfect tense again, having implications in the present, was intended to help us.

We sometimes even become selfish, strange as it may seem, in our view of our role. We think, "If only I were more faithful, or if only I was stronger, if only I could be more spiritual." We focus on our own shortcomings, and how we can overcome them, rather than looking to Christ, and considering what HE did. It is not about looking inwardly, it is about looking towards Jesus.

When I think about some of my problems, they seem to weigh me down, they seem to be so insurmountable, and I think about just giving up, but then when I reflect on Christ sometimes for even just a moment, he shapes my thoughts and strengthens me and brings things into perspective. This is just what the author himself asks us to experience. I trust you have listened to his words.

CONCLUSION:

The questions then for us are;

• Are you running the race set before you, or are you looking for short cuts?
• Are you running with endurance, or have you started to loose hope?
• Have you put aside, or are you willing to put aside, whatever they might be, worldly joys and pleasures, or perhaps even your work, those things that are hindering your walk?
• Have you unshackled yourself or broken the grip of sin, or do you continue to seek temptations?
• Where are your eyes fixed?
• Have you looked to Christ, and considered what he has done for you?

Encourage, challenge, warn, and command each other to ask yourself these questions and continue to run the race that Jesus has set before you, and fix your eyes on HIM, and consider what Jesus has done for you.