Race Toward the Crown Of Righteousness with Great Faith

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

A race is being run towards holiness today and you ought to make sure that you are participating in it so that you will win its prize.

Introduction

  Some of you may not realize it, but as a child of God, you are running a race, and completing it will take great discipline.  I hope you will take a moment to join me for this week’s lesson because finishing the race of faith is a must if you desire to win the prize upon completion.  This week’s Sunday School commentary will cover Hebrews 12:1-17.

The Race of Faith

I preached a sermon – Building Endurance While the Race of Faith Continues – that you want to read after reading this week’s commentary.  I preached from this scripture to remind believers that even though God has assured us of victory, that doesn’t mean we can sit around and do nothing.  

Some feel that joining a church and being baptized is all that is necessary to inherit God’s kingdom and the crown of righteousness, yet it’ll take more than that.  True faith, not simply a profession, is required to receive God’s great reward.

Here, in Hebrews 12:1, the writer stated, “Let us run.”  The writer did not say “Let us stand around and do nothing.”  The journey is a race, and one must move if they desire the prize that is before them.

Now, there are quite a few things to point out about what the writer said in Hebrews 12:1. So, let’s spend a bit of time breaking down this verse.

A great cloud of witnesses

The writer stated that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.  The great cloud of witnesses is all of the other believers, who are also participating in the same race.  

Now, this cloud of witnesses, you should understand, is also running for the same prize.  Does this mean that we are running against them?  Absolutely not.  

These witnesses are out on the track, running the same race.  They are out there on that track testifying of the Lord, and glorifying God’s name.  Those witnesses are witnessing to you and to all of those around you, using the gift that God has given to them.  They are saying to you, “Let’s run together in this race!”  They are saying, “We can do this!  We can win this race!”

The beautiful thing about this race is that there isn’t just one winner to this race.  This is one race where every witness of Christ will win.  The scripture encourages us to run the race that’s set before us so that all of us can win the prize before us in glory.

The race is a marathon

The writer also tells us in Hebrews 12:1 that we should run with endurance, or with patience and discipline.  The race of faith is not run just for a moment, but from the time of your confession to the end of your physical life.

Now, the fact that the writer used a marathon, rather than a sprint, highlights the difficulty of the race.  Now, I don’t say that to say that sprints are easy to run, because they are not easy.  Yet, all of us can run fast for a brief period of time, but few can run for a longer period of time comfortably.  Marathons are tiring, but you and I must not grow weary in this race.

To run in a marathon, marathoners have to prepare for it; training both their bodies and minds to endure the race.  To the Corinthians, Paul wrote that one who competes for a prize must be temperate (disciplined) in all things.

 With discipline in mind, let’s notice what the writer of this epistle tells us to help us to be disciplined.  The writer tells us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us”.  This means that anything or anyone that corrupts good habits should be removed from our lives. 

Help with completing the race 

Now, running and completing the race with discipline will be no easy task.  To help with completing the race, I want to remind you that we have a great cloud of witnesses who witness to us, to encourage us.  

Along with those witnesses, the writer encourages us to “look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2).” The writer encourages us to “consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself (Heb. 12:3).”

Jesus is the example that we ought to strive to imitate as we run the Christian race.  How did Christ run the race?  The writer reminds us that Christ ran with a mindset of the joy that was set before Him when He endured the cross.  Christ despised the shame as He ran the race, which is to say, though He was mocked and hated, He did not give in to being mocked and hated.

You and I should run with joy for the prize that is set before us.  The writer, again, makes it clear that we’re going to have difficulty, and part of that difficulty will come from sinners!

I consider what Paul said when he wrote, “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory…(2 Cor. 4:17)”  I think of what David sang when he sang, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps. 30:5).”

Many of us get hung up on the moment in our trials and tribulations.  Yet, our trials and tribulations will not destroy us.  The reason our trials and tribulations will not destroy us is because Christ has already overcome them for us and given us His peace (John 16:33).  Let us always keep in mind that God has promised that whoever believes in His only begotten Son will not perish but will have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Because our victory has been sealed through the giving of the Holy Spirit, we have no reason to ever feel ashamed.  So, like Christ, when someone mocks you for running the race with faith, ignore it.  When one thinks you’re foolish for what you believe, tell them that you would much rather be a fool for Christ than a fool of sin.  

There is a reward for those who are happy to a fool of Christ and rejoice in Him.  Those who are ashamed of Christ will be the ones Christ will one day be ashamed of.  Christ stated, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of Him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels (Luke 9:26).”

Chastened by the Lord

Now, aside from looking to the example of Christ, there is more help that we will receive to be able to complete our race.

Hebrews 12:5-11 speaks to the chastening of God.  In recent months, I have done my best to break the notion of God being the soft and gentle God who tolerates sin.  Yes, the Lord shows us mercy and grace when we err, but we should not take God’s grace and mercy as toleration or complicity.

When we sin, God rebukes our sin by telling us of our wrongs and offering correction.  Christ, we should view as a rebuke from the Father to the world.  Christ told the world that it had sinned and needed to repent, as the kingdom of God is at hand.  Jesus showed us the way of holiness by moving with grace and mercy, and then He told us how to be holy by loving the Lord wholeheartedly and loving our neighbors (Matt. 22:36-40).

There are times when a rebuke from the Holy Spirit is all that is needed as we make the necessary correction.  However, there are times when chastisement is needed.  When we continue in sin, God will chastise us, which is to say, the Lord will correct us by punishment to discipline us.  The chastening of God reminds me of how Christ spoke of the Father being a vinedresser who will prune us (John 15:1-2).

Of God’s discipline, the writer stated, “No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful (Heb. 12:11).”  

Jonah, when he ran from God’s assignment, was chastened by being swallowed by a great fish, where he remained in its belly for 3 days and nights.  Even when he completed the assignment, because he had not learned his lesson, was made to sit in the sweltering sun until he did.

The children of Israel, after they failed to take possession of the Promised Land as God desired, were chastened by God.  During the period of the judges, when the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, they were chastened until they would cry out to Him.

Why does God chasten us?  Does He punish us out of hate?  Absolutely not.  God is love.  God chastened Jonah to correct him in the way he was moving.  God chastened Israel so that they would return to Him.

To us, the writer stated, “Do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord lovesHe chastens, and scores every son whom He receives.”  To be clear, whether you are a male or female, all are chastened by God because God’s desire is for us to be holy.  God moves as a loving parent would move for their children.

Run With Strength

Because we will have such great help, the writer encourages us to run with strength the Christian race, strengthening our hands and knees (Heb. 12:12).  

Yes, marathons are tiring, and running in this marathon is not easy, especially when you consider all that we are dealing with today.  So how is it that we run with strength in trying times?  Well, we look to Christ and heed the encouragement from other witnesses and the Lord.

Then, we continue to move by faith.  The writer tells us to continue to pursue peace with all people and holiness (Heb. 12:14).  This is as Paul said to the Galatians, when he said, “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Gal. 6:9).”

As we look to Christ and heed the encouraging words from our support group, we ought to remember the prize and look towards it.  We should run with hope.  We should run for the joy of the prize that is before us, especially in times of difficulty.

Thinking of inheriting God’s kingdom ought to give us our second wind and help us to run even harder for the prize.  When we remember that we’re running towards the crown of righteousness, that will help to keep us in alignment with God’s instructions, living in fear of the eternal condemnation.  This thought falls in alignment with the writer’s words from Hebrews 12:15-17.