On the corner of a cornfield in the “Thumb” of Michigan, there’s a building that stirs up a lot of emotions within me whenever I drive past it. It is right between two small towns that are just ten miles apart. Standing on that property, you can see for miles and miles; miles of farmland, with little elevation change.

When I was fourteen years old, my father moved our family from the suburbs of Detroit to the farmlands of Michigan. For the first time in his life, He took on a pastor position at a small county church. I have very fond memories of this place. It’s where I fell in love with ministry. My dad served there for over ten years.

After my father left the church, it began to struggle. A new pastor came in and sold the building, ultimately leading to the closure of the church. It’s no longer in operation, no longer in the race, no longer impacting people, and no longer sharing the Gospel. It’s now just a peculiar-looking house (churches transformed into homes always seem a bit odd).

If you’ve been in the church world for a while, you probably have a similar story of a church that deeply impacted you but is no longer there. It might have been closed due to sin, distractions, or a loss of focus on Jesus.

In Hebrews, the writer uses the metaphor of a race, which is repeated throughout the Bible, to encourage the church to persevere and run with endurance in the race that the Lord has for us. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted”(Hebrews 12:1-3).

I would say this is one of the more famous passages in our Christian culture. I'm not sure if it's because we are a culture of competition and games, but it sure does seem to connect. Multiple times in the New Testament, Paul uses this image of a large running event. The people who first received this letter would know well the Roman and Greek games. As I studied this passage here in Hebrews, it stands out as a little different than the other verses on running. Here are a few of them from the epistles:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

“You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” Galatians 5:7

“Holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” Philippians 2:16

I can’t help but see a difference here in Hebrews. It's something that I can’t take lightly. The verses on running outside of Hebrews speak of a personal run. Paul says, “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified.” In Galatians, we read, “You were running well…” In Hebrews, the illustration is different; it doesn’t say “you” or “I,” it says “us.” It's not your race. It's ours. We have to lay aside sin. We have to set our sights on Jesus. We can’t get distracted. Many argue from this passage that we all have our own race to run. Each path is different. I just don’t see that. It's our race as the church to run, and Scripture tells us how to live so we can finish.

The Fans In The Stands

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…” Hebrews 12:1

Richard Phillips says, “The context in which we envision ourselves has a great influence over our thinking.” The race Christians are called to run has a great crowd. Here we see the idea to view our race as one in a coliseum filled with those faithful followers who went before us. The chapter starts with “Therefore.” It is connecting chapter 11 to this truth at the beginning of chapter 12. The “witnesses” refer to all of the saints that are mentioned in chapter 11. This is our crowd. Michael Kruger says, “All those Old Testament figures mentioned in chapter 11, are now surrounding you, watching you as you run—cheering you on.” There is much debate about this crowd. First, I do not think that these witnesses are limited to the saints in chapter 11. I think this is in reference to all those believers who have finished the race and have kept the faith. I put my father in the stands, who passed a few years ago. I like the thought of him cheering me on. But what does that exactly mean? Are the saints all watching us now? I think Kruger explains it well in his book “Hebrews for You.” He explains, “They are not there to watch you. They are there to be seen by you as you run. This encourages you about what is possible. There will be times when you think you cannot finish, you cannot push past the pain. But then you realize the stadium is filled with people who have finished the race. It can be done.” There is a wonderful encouragement from those who have gone before us. I believe this to be personal and biblical. This is why reading the Old Testament isn’t just a side dish in our Christian walk. Romans 15:4 explains, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” It's wonderful to know the great God who gave them strength to run the race is our great God. I think of my father and his story of redemption, how he finished the race, and this gives me great confidence.

As the church runs the race, there is a danger if we misunderstand this passage. There is a danger if we think the Bible is telling us to create human heroes, people that we think we should run for, people that we will run to please. Very quickly, Hebrews directs us to the real Hero. The writer says, "Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith." In chapter three of Hebrews, the writer has pointed out that Jesus is greater than all. This was shocking to the Jews because Abraham, Moses, and Joshua were placed on a very high platform. These Old Testament servants are examples to follow, people who, through the power of God, helped us in our walk. But they are not the hero; they are not who we should run for. We run for Christ with our eyes on Him.

In the church world today, we love to set up pastors as heroes. This has caused great destruction in the church. The pastor is called to shepherd the flock, to be an example as one who follows Christ, but not the hero. Albert Mohler Jr. states, “Christianity is not a cult of hero worship.” As the church, we must always make sure we keep our eyes on Christ.

Community Waste Removal

“Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely…” Hebrews 12:1

The Bible goes on to say, “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.” Here is the very clear analogy that you cannot run well with extra weight, especially weight that entangles you.

I will never forget that summer when we moved from the suburbs of Detroit to the farmland of Michigan. That summer was a great transition in my life. It's interesting to me the things that we hold on to in our memories. In that summer of 1994, I'll never forget the number of flies in the air. Our new home was next to acres of farmland. The whiff of cattle dung filled the air most days. When we moved in, flies were everywhere. My dad went to the local store and bought these long, sticky fly strips that he hung from the ceiling in the garage. I can remember them being filled with flies, top to bottom, on both sides. The flies would land on that sticky glue and get stuck. It was over, no more flying. I read this verse, and I think of being stuck. Watching those flies land, the more they would try to maneuver themselves free, the more they would entangle themselves. The warning is so important for believers who want to run the race. There are things that will slow you down, and there is sin that doesn’t just look to trip you up; it looks to entangle your life. You don’t have to do much for it to wrap you up and bring you down.

Understanding the two categories is important. First, there is the weight; these things are the things that slow you down. These are not necessarily sinful things, but things in your life that are obstacles for you. Hughes gives a helpful list: “It could be friendship, associations, an event, a place, a habit, a pleasure, an entertainment, an honor.” My father came to know the Lord in his thirties. Before that, he lived an addicted life. His brother died of drinking, and my father was on the same path. Thankfully, the Lord saved my dad and radically changed his life. This radical change affected everything in his life. One of the things that changed was where my dad would eat. Restaurants like Applebee's, just your normal bar and grill restaurant, were off-limits. It wasn't because Applebee's was sinful and everyone in there was doing wrong. It was because the bar scene was something my dad needed to stay far away from. This was a weight for him. Not a weight for everyone else, but something that could slow him down, something that could lead him to sinful things.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-17

Redeeming the time is a current weight in my life. How I spend my time is something I'm working to be more disciplined in. It's so easy for me to waste time. A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of teaching the Young Adult group at the church. I challenged them with this passage. I asked them (a room of about forty), “What is your biggest waste of time?” Doomscrolling was the word they used. It's defined as “the act of excessively scrolling through negative, depressing news or social media, even though it causes anxiety, sadness, or anger.” I challenge you with the same question: what is your biggest waste of time? Is there a weight that you need to urgently “lay aside”? Or as the New American Standard Bible translates this verse, “Let’s rid ourselves” (NASB). Here, sin seems even more devastating. It not only slows you down, but it also takes you down. We might get nervous about listing sins, but the Bible doesn’t.

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Followers of Christ can never take sin lightly. Again, I believe an important truth to not be missed here is that it says, "let us" lay down every sin and weight. We don’t do this by ourselves. James 5:16 points out, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” At the beginning of the church in Acts 19:18, it says, “Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.” We know that the Lord is the One who brings forgiveness, but the accountability of brothers and sisters in the Lord is vital. The encouragement and prayers from other saints are vital.

A Focused Run

“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

In this passage, we see the focus of our run. Jesus is not just another example to follow. He isn’t one of the faithful servants from chapter 11 in Hebrews. Jesus is the focus. Michael J. Kruger says, “Jesus for us is not just another member of the Hall of Faith but the founder and perfecter of our faith… Jesus is the one who carved the path in which we walk. He is the founder, meaning He is the pioneer; He is the one who goes before us and is waiting at the finish line.”

We are told to keep our eyes on who Jesus is, what Jesus did, and where Jesus is. Looking to Jesus, we keep the cross in view. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. If you do not know the salvation of the Lord, it is found in the cross. Jesus, perfect Jesus, went to the cross for our sins, the wrath of God was placed upon Him, and He always offers salvation. If you will truly humble yourself, repent of your sins, and as Romans 10:9 says, "Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." If you are a believer, we never move past the cross. It is our motivation. As Romans 12:1 says, "By the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice." The grace and mercy of God are our motivation to continue running this race. In this passage, we have a picture of moving our eyes from things that distract us and placing them on Jesus. John MacArthur contends that the original readers of Hebrews were starting to look back. “They started looking back at the old ways of Judaism and around them and ahead of them at the persecution and suffering and they began to weaken and waver.” We can so easily take our eyes off of Jesus and place them on other believers, or on ourselves.

When I was in high school, I specifically remember an all-school assembly. I can’t remember if it was a “don’t do drugs” assembly or a “you can conquer the world” assembly. What I do remember is the prop that the speaker used. I honestly don’t even remember his point, but I do remember what he did. He asked two students to come up on the stage. He brought out two ordinary broomsticks. He then challenged the students to try their best to balance the broomstick on one hand. Before they started, he gave them some stipulations. First, he said, “I want you to do this by only looking at your hand.” For years and years as a student pastor, I used this illustration. It's always fun to bring a couple of students up and challenge them to balance the broom. Many times, they can’t wait to impress their friends. This stipulation changes everything, though. Balancing a broom by only looking at your hand doesn’t work. I've watched student after student fail at trying. Then at the assembly, he changed the instructions. He then said, “Now I want you to balance the broom by only looking at the top of the broom.” This dramatically changes everything. As I've used this example, I've watched student after student go from failure to success. In all my years of doing this, I've never had a student fail. It always changes things when you move from looking at yourself to looking at the top of the beautiful, bristly broom.

Christian, will you take your eyes off yourself and place them on Jesus? The book of Philippians challenges us, saying, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14). Maybe your struggle is constantly looking back at the life that is behind you, forgetting the power of the cross and the forgiveness of the Lord. Maybe you placed your eyes on a person whom you trusted, and they failed you. The clear teaching here is that if we put our faith in anything other than Jesus, things are not going to go well. Placing our eyes on the perfect Savior changes everything. This definitely doesn’t mean it's easy or that this race is all fun and games. No, it's why it says to run with endurance. Someone once said, “Our enthusiasm for Christ must be converted into endurance.” In the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes, “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).

Questions for personal study or group discussion: