The Perfecter of Faith
Hebrews 12:1-2
March 6, 2013
As you know we are working our way through Hebrews
And most recently we just worked our way through the faith chapter.
The writer gave us 40 verses of some great examples of faith.
He knew that the recipients of this letter were struggling with endurance.
He knew they were contemplating falling away from the faith.
So he sought to inspire them with some great examples.
We saw THE REWARD OF FAITH
Abel, Enoch, Noah
We saw THE FOCUS OF FAITH
Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph
We saw THE COURAGE OF FAITH
Amram, Jochabed, Moses, Israelites, Rahab
We saw THE ENDURANCE OF FAITH
Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, Samson, David, Samuel and others
These were great examples of faith,
And they should most certainly inspire us as the writer will say here.
But NONE of these men or women were the BEST example of faith.
Each of these people exhibited great faith at points in their lives
And yet each of these people also had moments of failure.
Not all of them have their failures listed in Scripture, but most of them do.
• We are familiar with Noah’s drunkenness
• We are familiar with Abraham’s affair
• We are familiar with Isaac’s bad fathering
• We are familiar with Jacob’s lying
• We are familiar with Moses’ murder
• We are familiar with the Israelites grumbling
• We are familiar with Rahab’s prostitution
• We are familiar with Gideon’s tests
• We are familiar with Samson’s lust
• We are familiar with David’s affair
And we certainly are under no misconception that
Men like Abel, Enoch, or Joseph were always perfect.
They were great people who exhibited great faith,
And they should motivate us.
BUT NONE OF THEM IS THE CHIEF EXAMPLE OF FAITH.
That person isn’t even listed in Hebrews 11.
That person doesn’t get listed until Hebrews 12.
Of this person the writer reminds us that
He and He alone absolutely perfected faith.
That is to say that no one ever did it better.
So while we have MANY EXAMPLES, we only have ONE LEADER
And of course you know by now that it is Jesus Christ.
The others should inspire us, but only One warrants our total devotion.
And so having looked at some vitally important aspects of faith,
THIS MORNING we look at “The Perfecter of Faith”
Now before we get to Him and what He did, the writer does have some strong words of encouragement to us that we must not miss.
I feel certain that you are familiar with these verses as they are some of the most popular quoted verses in our world.
The whole objective of the writer is simple.
• Having expressed the need for faith in chapter 10
• Having explained faith in chapter 11
• The writer now expects faith in chapter 12
So let’s begin looking at these wonderful verses.
3 things
#1 THE MOTIVATION
Hebrews 21:1a
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,”
You are familiar with the fact that the writer here
Is using the analogy of a race to express his desires.
One might entitle this section: “APPROACHING THE TRACK”
And here we are talking about all that
The runner might be thinking about as motivation.
The writer mentions that “great cloud of witnesses”
Now, this DOES NOT suggest that these witnesses are sitting in the stands watching us run and we must be careful not to disappoint them.
“witnesses” hear DOES NOT mean “those who are watching”
The word “witnesses” translates MARTYS in the Greek.
It’s where we get our word for martyr.
These were people who sacrificially lived their lives for God,
Not people who just watched other people live it.
These people are not spectators, they are examples.
These are the people who we just studied in the previous chapter.
Don’t picture the runner entering the coliseum looking at the fans,
Picture him walking through the hall of fame,
Looking at the statues of those who ran before.
The writer is not asking to run to please them,
He is asking to run like they did in order to please God.
And so literally in chapter 11 we just walked through the hall of fame.
WE BEGAN IN THE HALL OF LEGENDS
• We saw the statue of Abel and remember how his faith cost him his life, but his faith also earned God’s favor.
• We saw the statue of Noah and wondered what it must have felt like to spend 100 years building a boat.
NEXT WE TOURED THE HALL OF PATRIARCHS
• We saw the tent Abraham lived in, we saw Isaac’s baby shoes, and the taxidermied head of that ram caught in a thicket.
• We saw the staff where Jacob leaned when he blessed his boys.
• On the back wall hung Joseph’s torn up and bloody coat that his brothers used to convince their father that he was dead. We were reminded how he never lost the faith.
• Over to the right you’ll see the basket where Moses was hidden as a baby, and we marveled at the faith it took for his parents to defy a king.
• To the left we saw that scarlet threat that Rahab hung out the window to make sure she wouldn’t be destroyed during the fall of Jericho.
WE WALKED THROUGH THE HALL OF WARRIORS.
• We saw the life-size cardboard cutout of Goliath, and there sat the sling that David used to bring him down.
• There on a table was Gideon’s fleece right next to his broken pot and his trumpet.
WE WALKED THROUGH THE HALL OF MARTYRS.
• It was a sacred and quiet march as we contemplated the pains and agonies of living through such peril for your faith.
THEN WE WALKED INTO THE FINAL ROOM OF THE HALL OF FAME.
• On the wall stood a single plaque which read, “And all these having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.”
And now we make our way toward the exit,
And we see that the tour guide is
Passing out a souvenir to everyone who visited.
He is handing them a baton and he is saying, “Therefore, since we have been surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”
And now you understand the motivation.
They should inspire you to get back up and run.
The Motivation
#2 THE MANDATE
Hebrews 12:1b
“let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”
If the first part of this verse could be called “Approaching the Track” then this part should be called “LOOSENING UP”
If you’ve ever watched Olympic runners you are well aware that most of them run in as little as possible.
• They don’t want anything bulky
• They don’t want anything heavy
• They don’t want anything that restricts movement
They want to be as free as they possibly can to run.
That is precisely what the writer is talking about here.
And if you’ll notice there are TWO THINGS
That he knows that must be cast aside.
“let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us,”
One of the things on that list you expected to see.
“sin”, and we will get to that one in a minute.
But FIRST the writer says to “lay aside every encumbrance”.
Obviously if he mentions “sin” in a moment
Then he isn’t talking about sin here.
He is just talking about things that hinder you from running.
“encumbrance” comes from a Greek word that simply means “a bulk or mass”
You’ve probably seen the Olympics,
But you’ve probably never seen a sprinter run
With a sack of feed on their shoulder.
He is not necessarily talking about sinful things here,
Just things that get in the way.
This is where we often find that list of “doubtful” things.
Is it a sin to go to such and such party?
No, but will it hinder or help your Christian walk?
Is it a sin to listen to country music?
Possibly not, but will it hinder or help your Christian walk?
You already know the classic Baptist one. “Is it ok to drink a bear as long as I don’t get drunk?”
And you already know that the answer is “no”.
But we should ask if it helps or hinders your Christian walk.
You get the idea.
What is the goal?
• If your goal is to have fun, then the party fits the bill.
• If your goal is to cry, then listen to that country music song.
• If your goal is to satisfy the flesh, then drink that beer.
But if your goal is to win the race and live a Christian life,
Then it might change your habits.
• There is nothing wrong with eating donuts and drinking chocolate milk, but you won’t find many distance runners making a habit of it, because it is counterproductive to the goal.
• I’m sure many of those female sprinters also enjoy wearing designer shoes and nice dresses, but you won’t find them wearing them while running the race.
You understand the point of the writer.
You are supposed to be running so throw off what hinders.
I talked to a young man about this, this week.
He loves track, in fact, he told me he is the fastest sprinter in the school, but his grades aren’t good enough to let him participate.
My wife will tell you that I am no role model for the importance of getting good grades, but if bad grades are hindering you from running, then you have a problem.
We’re talking about removing the things that are holding you back.
We’ve talked about this before, regarding participation in ministry.
• We can’t go on a mission trip because we already allocated our time.
• We can’t give our money because we’re already committed through debt.
We place things in our life that hinder us
From running the race to the best of our ability.
Not only that, but you should also “lay aside…the sin which so easily entangles.”
Now here we have to use some of that grammar we learned back in school and see that the writer here used the definite article regarding “sin”
He used the word “the” which implies he is thinking of a specific sin.
Certainly all sin should be laid aside,
But here he mentions “the sin which so easily entangles us,”
No, he doesn’t mention specifically what it is,
But in light of what he’s been talking about throughout this letter and especially the last chapter, it stands to reason that he is talking about the sin of UNBELIEF
He actually introduced it early on.
Hebrews 4:1-2 “Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.”
Certainly any sin can entangle you and keep you from running,
But none so easily as unbelief.
A sprinter may disqualify himself for
Using illegal substances or for an illegal start,
But a runner that doesn’t believe he can win
Isn’t likely to show up at all.
The writer here is asking the Hebrews to “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us,”
And then of course – TO RUN
“and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”
The “race” here that is mentioned is the Greek word AGON,
It’s where we get our word for “agony”.
This is a marathon
This is a hard race
BUT IT IS OUR RACE.
You didn’t choose when you would be born.
You didn’t choose where you would be born.
Your race was “set before” you by God.
And all there is for you to do is “run with endurance”
• No runner ever won anything by being sluggish of the blocks.
• No runner ever won anything by quitting halfway around the track.
I’m not saying your race is easy, but it is your race.
In 2008 the NFC championship game between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers was played in Green Bay. The temperature was -4 degrees, the wind chill was -24 degrees. Obviously no sane human wants to endure that.
But Michael Strahan began a chant on the New York Giant’s sideline. “We’re in it. We might as well win it.” And they did. The win sent the Giants to the superbowl and Brett Favre to Minnesota.
Your race may not be pleasant, but it is your race.
So throw off the things that hinder and the things that entangle AND RUN.
THAT IS THE MOTIVATION AND THE MANDATE
#3 THE MODEL
Hebrews 12:2
Like I told you at the beginning; all those people in chapter 11 can be very inspiring, but they can also be used negatively if you are willing to.
I can go to you and say – RUN LIKE NOAH
And you could say, “You mean get drunk and pass out in my tent?”
I could say – RUN LIKE JACOB
And you could say, “You mean cheat my brother and flee the country?”
I could say – RUN LIKE DAVID
And you could say, “You mean have an affair and kill the woman’s husband?”
That is why those in chapter 11 can only motivate us so far.
THERE IS BUT ONE PERFECT EXAMPLE.
The writer said that we should be “fixing our eyes on Jesus”
The writer calls Him “the author and perfecter of faith”
“author” translates ARCHEGOS (ar-kay-gos)
It means “one who takes the lead in”
He was the leader in faith
He pioneered the trail
Others showed us glimpses of it, He did it right.
In fact He was the “perfecter of faith”
“perfecter” translates TELEOIOTES (ti-la-oh-tace)
It means “perfectly accomplishing”
He did it better than anyone.
So obviously there is one example to end them all.
We are motivated by all of those in chapter 11,
But we emulate the one listed here in chapter 12.
Let’s look at His race
1) HIS OBSTACLE
“the cross”
I know this isn’t the first thing mentioned in the verse,
But clearly this was the race that was set before Him.
You are familiar with how the cross worked – (SUFFOCATION)
The cross was Rome’s way of crushing rebellion
CONSIDER THE PAIN
Isaiah 52:13-14 “Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men.”
Psalms 22:6-8 “But I am a worm and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, “Commit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
Psalms 22:14-18 “I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.”
There is no doubt that the cross was a horrific place to die.
• It is no wonder Jesus prayed in the garden “let this cup pass from Me”
CONSIDER THE SPIRITUAL ANGUISH
Psalms 22:1 “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.”
We are all familiar with Jesus question from the cross.
Scripture is clear what was occurring:
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
This wasn’t just about physical pain,
This was about the spiritual judgment of holy God.
CONSIDER THE WEIGHT OF HIS MISSION
Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”
Everything that is hard about this sin cursed life, Jesus bore.
There has never been a race so difficult as His.
There has never been a weight so heavy as His.
So, how did He do in this race?
2) HIS RESPONSE
“endured the cross, despising the shame”
“endured” translates HUPOMENO (hoo-pa-man-o)
MENO = “abide” like in John 15:4 “abide in Me”
HUPO intensifies it – “to bear up courageously”
So it literally means “to abide under”
JESUS DID
• Even when faced with crucifixion
• Even when they dared Him to come down
Matthew 27:42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.”
Imagine if while running your difficult race, everyone around you was begging you to quit? How much harder would that make it?
Jesus determined to stay on the cross.
• He could have bowed out.
• He could have come down
• He could have called 10,000 angels, but He chose to run His race.
The Bible also says “despising the shame”
“despising” translates KATAPHRONEO
Literally – “to think down”
1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”
Romans 2:4 “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”
Matthew 18:10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.”
It doesn’t mean He hated the shame.
It means He didn’t think the shame was any big deal.
We have trouble enduring because we think too highly of our self.
• We don’t think we deserve such hardship…
• We don’t think we deserve such ridicule…
• Jesus didn’t let either of those things bother Him.
He “thought little” of it.
GIVES NEW MEANING TO:
1 Corinthians 3:18 “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.”
Jesus faced the hardest challenge any man has ever faced
And He handled it perfectly.
3) HIS MOTIVE
“for the joy set before Him”
HE SAW THE CROSS AS AN OPPORTUNITY.
• To save sinners
• To glorify His name
He embodied everything the writer spoke of in chapter 11,
About people who had the right kind of focus.
Jesus looked past the pain and the shame of the cross
To “the joy set before Him”
He kept an eye to eternity.
And that is why HE COULDN’T BE SIDETRACKED
In Matthew 4 Satan offered Him the world:
Matthew 4:8-9 “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”
In John 6 the crowds offered Him a throne:
John 6:15 “So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.”
In Matthew 26, Peter offered Him escape:
Matthew 26:51 “And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.”
In John 19, Pilate offered Him a pardon:
John 19:9-11 “and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
HE WAS FOCUSED
It is tremendous perspective that can look past the present pain
To see the future result.
• Jesus wasn’t trying to have His best life now.
• Jesus wasn’t trying to find comfort
• Jesus wasn’t looking for earthly fame
JESUS WAS RUNNING THE RACE THAT WAS ASSIGNED TO HIM.
4) HIS RESULT
“and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Many times in the book of Hebrews we have read that fact
And seen Jesus as the High Priest,
But there is much more here than just “Jesus the Intercessor”.
This verse speaks of Him in terms of victory.
TURN TO: ACTS 2:22-36
Acts 5:29-31 “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.”
Ephesians 1:19b-23 “These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
• Jesus ran the most difficult race ever attempted.
• He threw off the things that hindered and ran with endurance
• He could not be sidetracked
• He faced those hardships because He was looking to the reward
AND AS A RESULT HE WAS GREATLY REWARDED
The point of the writer is becoming pretty clear isn’t it?
Can I ask you a question?
IS THERE ANYTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN LIVING A LIFE THAT IS PLEASING TO GOD?
• I know we are in an election season and who you vote for is pretty important.
• I know many of us have families and providing is important.
• We are told to take care of our retirement…
• We are told to take care of our health…
• We’re about to start Little League Baseball and we all know how important that is.
There are all sorts of things in life that we do, but honestly, are any of them as important as living a life that is pleasing to God?
So the idea is that if anything in life is keeping you from obeying God, then obviously it has to be tossed aside.
It would be like a sprinter who spends a ton of time planning his wardrobe, fixing his hair, and making his traveling plans to get to the track, but who never prepares himself to run.
Don’t lose sight of what is the most important thing here.
Paul said:
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”
• God didn’t place me here to play golf
• God didn’t place me here to run Little League
• God didn’t place me here to build furniture
He placed me here to run my leg of the race as faithfully as possible.
Regardless of what my leg of the race may look like.
I don’t know what you’re facing
I don’t know what you fill face
But I do know you were appointed for this race – RUN IT!
Run it like Jesus ran it.
In fact, we’ll look at this verse next time, but look at verse 3.
Hebrews 12:3-4 “For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;”
That’s the real issue isn’t it?
That we might “grow weary and lose heart”
That is the issue facing the Hebrews.
• They were being maligned
• Their property was stolen
• They were being thrown in prison
The solution to a better life was easy…get rid of Jesus.
The writer says, NO!
Jesus didn’t give up on you, don’t you give up on Jesus.
I don’t know what you face, but I know you were appointed to face it.
It is your race, so run it.
• Throw off the things that are keeping you from living for Christ.
• Throw off the sin of unbelief that causes you to be stagnant.
• Step up to the line and run!
And the whole time you run, keep your eyes focused on Jesus,
Who is your chief example.
Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
