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Hebrews 12:1–13_Davide
| 22.11.2009, 17:44 | |
Rev. Davide Cantarella Hebrews 12:1-13 Hebrews 12:1-13 What I am about to tell you is not a new story. Many of you have heard it before. But I don't think it is going to hurt if you hear this again. And if you have never heard this before, then you will have something to think about. Mexico City, 1968 Olympic Games. It's almost 7 in the evening and it's dark. An hour earlier, Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia had crossed the finish line to become the new Olympic marathon champion. 55 other athletes have already finished the race. One is still running. His name is John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania, a small African country. To be precise, he is not really running. He is trotting and walking. During the race he fell and severely cut and injured his knee. He has no hope of winning and no hope of getting a medal. He is more than an hour late. He is in pain. But he is pressing forward and not giving up. I have a short video with the original footage of his arrival at the Olympic stadium in Mexico City. You can see the video here To those who asked him why on earth he did not quit, he simply replied: "My country did not send me 5000 miles to start the marathon; they sent me here to finish.” What John Stephen Akhwari said of the Olympic Marathon is very true of the Christian life. The Christian life is a race that we must start and finish. God does not call us into his light so that we can start living with Him, and then get lost somewhere half-way. He calls us so that we start the race, and run everyday until He calls us home. In a nutshell, this is the reason why the author of the letter to the Hebrews took time to write it. He understood that the circumstances of our lives can be so difficult, so discouraging, so overwhelming that, in the middle of the race, we find ourselves without strength, and without desire to trudge on. The Christians to whom this letter was written were wavering in their devotion to Christ. They were experiencing spiritual lethargy, which was progressively leading them away from Christ. Their experience of persecution, their confusion about who Christ is and what He has done, caused them to drift away from right belief and right living. The author of the epistle to the Hebrews understood that these people needed encouragement; they needed to be reminded of some basic, but important truths; they needed to be prayed for so that their enthusiasm would not slowly fade, but be revived. Are any among us today experiencing spiritual lethargy? Do you feel like you don't have strength to follow Christ and continue the race? Are the circumstances of your life confusing the clear picture of God's love and care you once had? Are you doubting? Well, let's us turn to this message of long ago with the hope that we too may find encouragement, a new hope, new strength, and a reminder of the truths about God and His love for us. First of all, the author of Hebrews reminds us that there is a "cloud of witnesses” that finished the race before us. A brief list of their names and their accomplishments is found in chapter 11. We are told that, by faith, these people did great things and were faithful to the end. What this means is that we are not the first to face difficulties in our Christian race. Through the centuries, everyone who ran the Christian race had to face obstacles and troubles. Big troubles. "Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated.” (Heb. 11:36-37) Yet, they were faithful until the end. This means that by the grace of God we can finish the race. All of us can finish the race if we ask God to strengthen our faith and to stay really close to us, especially in times of trouble. Do not think you are too weak to finish the race. You may feel weak today. You may feel pain today. But there is a cloud of witnesses cheering for you. They also felt weak. They also felt pain, yet by the grace of God they finished the race. Remember that He that is in you is stronger than He who is in the world. Remember that He has started a good work in you and wants to complete it. Keep running. The author of Hebrews also tells us something very important. We need to get rid of unnecessary burdens. What would you think of a runner who has long baggy pants, heavy boots, 3 sweaters, a winter coat and a heavy backpack? You would think this guy is crazy. Yet, we often live our lives like that. We carry all sorts of burdens every day. Worries about the present; worries about the future; sometimes even worries about our past; family problems; financial problems; health issues; and who knows what else. Or sin. At times we carry some of the habits of our old life. We know we should not do those things, but as soon as the opportunity presents itself, we fall. And we keep on falling. And it hurts. It's really difficult to run when you carry heavy burdens and keep on falling. It is no wonder that we get tired! It is no wonder we get bruised. And of course the temptation is to quit. But it does not need to be this way. The Scriptures say "let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Some of us today probably need to ask God to help us lay down the extra burden we carry. Scriptures invite us, "Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” (Ps 55:22) Instead of carrying useless burdens and complain about how difficult this race is, Scripture says we should fix our eyes on Jesus "the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” Jesus himself ran this race, and like the rest of the cloud of witnesses he finished it. Was his race easy? Not really. In fact when we compare the difficulties we face with those that Jesus faced, our perspective changes a little bit. He put up with a lot – opposition, hatred, betrayal, loneliness, death. But Jesus knew that finishing the race had eternal consequences, and so he pressed on, "he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.” And he did that for us. So, when we are losing heart and think this race is impossible, let's remember Jesus, our champion. He lives in us. A champion lives in us. He helped us start the race, and He will help us finish it. Remember who lives in you, and do not lose heart. The author of Hebrews reminds us of another important truth – God uses the difficult circumstances of our lives to transform us into better children. The author of Hebrews quotes an Old Testament verse in the Book of Proverbs: "My child, don’t reject the LORD’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.” (Prov 3:11-12). When we read this verse, especially in the Russian Synodal version, we are likely to misunderstand its meaning and think that the difficulties we are facing are God's punishment for something wrong we have done. Things, however, are a little more nuanced than this, and to really understand what the text is trying to say, we need to follow its logic. First of all, the text affirms that we are children and that God is our Father. That in itself is a source of encouragement. Often when we experience difficulties we feel a little like "orphans”. The text reminds us that God never stops being our Father, even when things are rough. The next logical step is this: if a parent loves his/her children he/she will discipline them. We all have been in situations in which we have observed children acting up. Usually, when a child starts acting up, we justify their behavior for the first 10 minutes because "they are children, after all”. However, if the child continues his/her obnoxious behavior, the next thing we do is observe what the parents are going to do. We expect parents to use this opportunity to teach their child what the proper behavior should be is the specific circumstance. And if somehow the parents don't do anything to correct their child we start thinking that they are not very good parents and that this child will grow up thinking he can do whatever he wants. At the same time we do not take the initiative and discipline this child. Why? Because it is not our child. We discipline our children, not someone else's. Now, let's apply this to ourselves. How come we expect parents to discipline children; how come we understand the necessity of disciplining our own children, yet we get discouraged when God disciplines us? Parents discipline and correct not because they enjoy it, but because it is necessary; because they care. Lack of discipline indicates a lack of interest in the life of the child. The presence of discipline indicates genuine care, concern for the child's character. If God is doing a work of discipline and correction in our lives, it is because He loves us; it is because he cares for us. It is because He treats us like children, and not like someone else's children. God absolutely refuses to spoil us, to ignore us, or to let us get away with rebellion, or sin or stupidity. He will find a way to tell us that we'd better stop and think again, or walk away from something, or even get down on our knees and repent. He will find a way to get to us - at times actively creating situations which cause us to stop and re-evaluate our lives; at other times passively letting us face the consequences of the stupid choices we make. Whichever way He chooses, He wants us to realize something in us must change. Moreover, as parents we do understand that today's discipline will have effects that will last for a lifetime. We try to build values, principles, and proper behavior that will accompany the child for the rest of his life. And, I do not know about you, but as a son, I am grateful for the discipline I received from my parents. When I look back, I am grateful that my parents did not let me have my way; I am grateful for taking the time to teach me what is right and what is wrong; how to relate to others with respect and kindness; to be responsible; to make sure my words and the way I live match. And I am grateful that, when I did not want to understand it the easy way, they made me learn it the hard way – because it was fundamental that I should learn those things. I had to learn for my own good. Of course, discipline is never fun. And the author of Hebrews knows that well, "No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” The result of our earthly parents disciplining us is a harvest of righteousness. The result of our Heavenly Father disciplining us is that we share in his holiness. The difficult moments of our lives are not meaningless. Whether these are purposefully created by God, or are simply the consequences of our own stupidity – whatever their origin – difficulties can be used of God to make us more like Him. And this is the thing that really leaves me astounded about God – He is not a Father that enjoys watching us sink. He is a Father who uses every opportunity, EVERY opportunity - even the most unlikely, even the most painful – to seek our eternal good and accomplish His eternal goal – that we may be like Him. His priority; His desire for us is that we be like Him. And, just like a loving parent, He will do everything to help us become who we need to become; and our momentary difficulties will become an everlasting fruit. He knows what is best for us, therefore He uses the circumstances of our lives to make us like Him. Today we don't understand it completely. Tomorrow we'll look back in wonder at how He graciously turned pain into holiness. Our Father is amazing. In this light, then, adverse circumstances should be no reason to complain. We are being shaped into better children. We have not been forgotten – much the contrary! We are being modeled. So, the question to ask in times of trouble is not, "Where is God? Why He is letting this happen to me?” But rather, "Who is He making me through this?” When we understand the importance of the work God wants to do in us, we will do our best to continue to run on a "level” path. What's a level path? In the Scriptures, a "level path” is a symbol of a life lived in harmony with God's will, over against a life of disobedience and sin, which the Scriptures call a "crooked path”. We all live in Russia, therefore we all know what bad roads look like. I have a difficult question for you. I want you to look at these two pictures and tell me which of those two roads is easier to run on.   We all understand that it is easier to run on a level path, yet often, we complicate our own lives. When we sin, when we indulge in "crooked” behavior, the road becomes rougher, running is more difficult, and we get tired and discouraged much more quickly and much more easily. The Scriptures say to us that if we want to finish this race, it really helps when we choose a "level” path, a life in harmony with the will of God. Since God's plan is to make us like Him, it really helps when we make choices and embrace behaviors that make us more like Him. When we love our neighbor, when we choose truth and justice, when we strive to be kind, and patient, and forgiving. When we give ourselves away in service to others – it really helps. We walk on a level path. And when we don't, we complicate our lives, we feel overwhelmed and we get tired. One last thing I want to say, along with the author of Hebrews. And I want to say this especially to those today who may feel tired and overwhelmed. Some are being disciplined by the Lord; some others may be facing the results of unfortunate choices. Some others have run on rough roads for a while. Well, independently of the reason - rather than feeling weak; rather than feeling like you should quit this difficult race, God invited you to "strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees”, because the race is not over yet. You must not give up. Instead, you must continue to trust in God, with full assurance that He who started a good work in you has all the intentions of carrying it out to completion. He wants you to be like Him and He wants you to finish this race. And He will do everything to help you become like Him and to help you finish the race. If necessary, he will carry you to the finish line. August 1992. Barcelona Olympic Games. Britain's Derek Redmond, number 749 is at the blocks, track number five, ready to run the 400 meters semi-final. He has trained hard and has very good chances of winning the race. He is concentrated on that finish line, only 400 meters away. The race starts, and Derek begins running. Until, suddenly, something snaps in his left leg. The rest, you can watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t-NAum8kY8 The man who came down to help Derek was His Father, Jim. Father and son finished that race together. "He who began a good work in you will carry it out unto completion.” Do you feel too tired to finish the race? Have you fallen too many time? Do you think it's better to quit? Do not give up yet. God will do everything it takes to make us like Him and to help us finish the race. If necessary, he will carry us. If you need to be carried, I want to pray for you and with you. | |
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