Keep On Keeping On! – PART 2

Keep On Keeping On! (Hebrews 12:1-3) – PART 2

I. The Preparation for the Race (Hebrews 12:1)
This race is the lifelong test of faith that we experience during our time in this world (Hebrews 10:23, 38; 11:1-40; 12:25; 13:13). The race must be run with perseverance, persistence, patience, and endurance (Hebrews 10:36; Philippians 3:12-14). The way of victory for us is the same as that of the saints in Hebrews 11, pressing on to the finish, past difficult circumstances or harsh opposition (Hebrews 6:11-12; 12:1-4; Luke 21:19; I Corinthians 9:24-25; Philippians 3:11-14; Revelation 3:21). God wants each of us to be prepared for the race He’s called us to run. He speaks to the issue in Hebrews 12:1, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” As we prepare for the race of the Christian life in the New Year, we must first consider two important tasks.

A. Remove the stumblingblocks.
The first-century Olympians, the early runners of the Greek games, typically wore robes throughout the day. These flowing garments had to be set aside for the races. Although they were necessary to one part of life, the robes were a weight, unhelpful and unnecessary for the purpose of running a race. And while we no longer use robes as daily public wear, today’s Olympic athletes will still set aside certain activities or habits in order to focus on their training so they will perform better in the Games. There are many things in our lives that must also be set aside if we want to run our race effectively. While not all of these things are necessarily sinful, they are activities, items, or passions that must be set aside if we are going to run a good race for the Lord.

Ephesians 4:22, “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.” As the army of Alexander the Great was advancing on Persia, it seemed at one critical point the troops might be defeated. The soldiers had taken so much plunder from their previous campaigns that they’d become weighted down and were losing speed and effectiveness in combat. Alexander commanded that all the spoils from previous battles be thrown into a heap and burned. His men complained bitterly but soon saw the wisdom of his order. With his insistence on ridding his men of the weight of their plunder, he assured their victory in future battles. Someone later wrote, “It was as if wings had been given to them, they walked lightly again.” Certain hobbies, friendships, habits, or activities commonly creep into our schedules and our lives that are really just clutter. They weigh us down because they occupy time or mental focus that should be given to the Lord to fulfill the responsibilities and opportunities which He has given to us. We must set aside everything that will hold us back from going on for God, any sin or just plain old clutter that keeps us from being who God wants us to be, and be renewed as we get back to focusing on Him. Ephesians 4:23, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind…”

B. Repent from sin.
The word repent means “to change your mind”, or “turn away” from something. If we are to run a good race, we must not only remove hindrances, but we must also turn from sin. Hebrews 12:1 “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.” J. Vernon McGee said, “As Christians we have the privilege to run our race for the glory of God. We need to stay focused on what God has called us to do and not get sidetracked on the meaningless things of this world. We need to give our all for Jesus and run with purpose. The race must be run by laying aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.” We are to remove anything that entangles or hinders our race for Christ. Anything that would cause you to stumble or get sidetracked we should reject. The sin that easily besets us is that sin that constantly discourages us or brings shame, the one we continually come back to despite knowing it will always bring us trouble. Many Christians deal with besetting sins of pride and procrastination. These sins, and others, will hinder us from going on for God like we should. The race must be run with an awareness that our greatest danger is the temptation to give up and give in to sin. We must make up our minds that in the New Year we will put aside these sins so that we have no distractions from our race.

We must once and for all put aside the sins that have repeatedly gotten the best of us and kept us from growing as we could in our relationship with God. This means that we must stop making the same foolish choices that have led to these failures. We must also determine to put aside things that are not necessarily sinful, but neither are they beneficial in helping us move ahead with Christ. These things are simply dead weight that keep us from devoting greater time and attention to time with God; they do not help us grow spiritually. Psalm 18:23, “I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.” If there’s a besetting sin that you need to turn from today, the good news is it doesn’t have to win. Repent today. Ask God for cleansing and healing, and determine to live rightly before Him. If you have tried in the past but struggled to gain ongoing victory, share your struggle with a spiritual leader and ask for prayer support, and perhaps counseling or training specific to the sin which you are battling. To run a good race in the New Year, one thing is certain, we must prepare for it by laying aside every weight or sin which would hold us back.

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