Exerting for the Prize

“join me by exerting yourself in the contest that God is setting before us”         Hebrews 12.1 (Ron’s translation)

Introduction

-Many have run the race before us and won

-We are to lay aside the  weights of this world and the sins of the flesh which easily entangle us, and pursue enduring faith, carrying the burdens and responsibilities that God gives us as His people, and suffering the hardships that come with belonging to God.

The Race “Agona”  The Contest

-Originally the place of annual games, then the contest

-We are to have the mentality and the readiness to win the contest and fight the battle and win

-Contest with the world, the flesh and the Devil.

Galatians 1.3-5; 1 John 2.15-17; Galatians 5.16-17; Matthew 26.41; Ephesians 6.12

Run  Exert Yourself

-To exert oneself, strive hard, to spend one’s strength to attain or perform something. Hebrews 12.4: Romans 12.11; Hebrews 6.11-12.

-Subjunctive mood. What might take place if we choose to join the writer in running the race.

Set Before Us   God’s Present Course

-Hebrews 6:18 of hope; 12.2 of joy; 12.1 of the contest

-Present passive. What God continually places before us

-Justification; Sanctification; Glorification.

Conclusion

A narrow road of contests, lined with past examples of success, and future promises, in which we endure and exert until we reach the promises at the end of the road.

SERMON NOTES

Exerting for the Prize                   Hebrews 12.1-2

I want to begin this morning by giving Praise to God that through these verses in Hebrews 12 the Holy Spirit has called some of you to lay aside some weights that have been slowing you down, and the clinging sins that have been hindering you from moving forward in the path of faith that God has for you. I want to exhort you, “through daily endurance keep on God’s course until you finish the race”.

We are continuing to think together on our theme verse for 2012, “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus”. Many have gone before us in the life of faith and have pleased God, finishing well. In their shadow we too are to lay aside the weights of this world, and the sins of the flesh which easily entangle us, and pursue enduring faith, carrying the burdens and responsibilities that God gives us as His people, and suffering the hardships that come with belonging to God.

Today I want to consider with you the phrase “let us run the race that is set before us” by looking at the meaning of the words used in this phrase.

First is the word we translate as “race”.  The Greek word is “agona” from which we get our English word “agony”. Originally this word described the place in which the Greeks assembled to celebrate their annual games. Later it came to mean an athletic competition such as wrestling, running, or a chariot race. In our verse the word is translated as “race” but it means any athletic contest. The agona brings to mind an intensely competitive encounter requiring much physical strength and mental training. The contest involves physical effort and willful determination in order to win.

One of the ways that the Bible describes the Christian life is by comparing it to an athletic contest. In some verses this contest is escalated to an all out battle. The verse we are studying today is one example of describing the Christian life as an athletic contest. As Christians we are to live our faith as if competing to win an athletic contest or fighting a battle against our enemy. We are to live the Christian life determined to win the contest and to fight the battle and win.

Here are three contests, three battles that the Bible speaks about regarding our Christian life.

1) Our contest is described as against the godless world that we live in. God saved us and took us out of this evil world. Galatians 1.3-5 says, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen”. In Christ you are no longer part of this condemned and evil world. Because God has delivered you from the present evil age you are no longer to love the world and you are not to let the world influence you. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions – is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2.15-17).

Our contest is against the world because the world is determined to tell us how to think, what to desire, what is valued and important, what is true, and how we are to live. Our worldview should be Biblical and not worldly. Our perspective on life should come from God’s point of view, not from the godless world’s point of view. In many ways we allow the world to disciple us instead of the Word of God to disciple us. We need to exert ourselves to win this contest against the world. Too often our approach is to isolate ourselves from the world while allowing the world to infiltrate our minds and hearts. God’s way is to be godly people who live as shining lights in a godless world and win others to Christ. We win this contest against the world by conforming our minds to God’s Word and by feeding our hearts with heavenly pursuits so that we desire God and not the world.

2) Our contest is described as against the flesh. The flesh resides in us even as believers and continually calls us to sin. God has given us the Holy Spirit to struggle against the flesh. “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other.” (Galatians 5.16-17). We win this contest against the flesh by learning the Word of God, by watching and praying, “Watch and pray that you many not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26.41), and by submitting ourselves to the Holy Spirit and walking in the Spirit.

3) Our contest is described as against the Devil along with his demons. The Devil and his demons hate God and continually seek to destroy mankind who are made in the image of God, and those who seek to Glorify God with their lives. “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6.12) The Devil seeks to seduce us with lies, condemnation, accusations, and false guilt. He seeks to lead us to legalism or lawlessness, to preoccupation with this world, to despair and discouragement. He seeks to disturb relationships and unity, to disrupt prayer and witnessing, and replace peace with fear. The Devil is our enemy. We win this contest against the Devil by being strong in the Lord, by knowing our authority over the Devil in Christ, by maintaining a clean conscience, by prayer, by resisting the Devil, by an attitude of humility, and by exposing sin.

Much, much more could be said about each of these contests in the Christian life and how to win them but today I just want to remind you again that you are in a continual contest of faith, a battle with your enemies, and God has given you all that you need to win the contest and finish strong in faith.

The second word I would like us to consider together is the word we translate as “run”. This word means “to exert oneself, strive hard, to spend one’s strength to attain or perform something”. This word fits well with “agona”. It pictures the effort that needs to be put out to win the contest. Our striving against the world, the flesh and the Devil is to be intense and all consuming. Look at verse 4, “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” That’s intense striving.

The pursuit of faith that pleases God is to be intentional, deliberate, disciplined, determined, energetic, forceful, and passionate. In a series of exhortations in Romans 12 to live the Christian life Paul writes, “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord”. (11). In Hebrews 6.11-12 we read, “We desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises”.  Not slothful, not sluggish but earnest in our faith. Throughout the letter to the Hebrew Christians we are exhorted to earnestness, endurance, struggle, do not drift away, discipline, be mindful, do not harden your hearts, take care, do not be sluggish, draw near, recall, do not shrink back, believe, lift up drooping hands, strive, do not become bitter, patience, do not neglect, obey. The Christian life is not a part-time pursuit but an all consuming effort of enduring faith before the living God.

This verb “to run” is in the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive mood is used to state something that might take place in the future. It is a possibility but not a certainty. The author is urging those he is writing to, to strive with him in the contest that is set before them, but the choice is theirs. Perhaps they will run with him and perhaps they will choose not to run with him. He is inviting them to pursue the life of faith along with him and is seeking to provide every incentive for them to strive to win the contest that is set before them.

The last word in this phrase is translated as “set before us”. This is one word in Greek and means “appointed, destined, in front of”. This word is used three times in the book of Hebrews. In Hebrews 6.18 it is used for “the hope set before us”. Then in Hebrews 12.2, in speaking about Jesus, it is used for “the joy that was set before him”. And in 12.1 it is used for the contest that is set before us in which we are to exert ourselves to live by faith. Not only is there a contest set before us in which we are to exert ourselves to win, but there are also great promises set before us, the promises of hope and joy and eternal life.

This participle is a present passive. The present means that the contest is continually being set before us. The passive voice means that someone is setting that contest before us. It is God who continually sets the course we run before us. God orders each day, each moment of our circumstances, and the responsibilities we have, the trials, the blessings, the needs of others, and we are to exert ourselves to respond to these circumstances by faith.

What does this contest that is set before us look like? Well everyone has a different course to follow. I envision the contest that is set before us as a series of many contests that we encounter each day. This contest set before us can be summed up under three headings familiar to most of us.

1) Justification: The course that God sets before each of us begins with our salvation. If you are not a Christian this morning the first step of faith for you is to ask God to save you from your sin because Jesus Christ paid the penalty for you sin. If you do not ask God to save you in Jesus Christ then your course plainly leads to hell. No matter what you do along the way your destiny without Christ is hell. With salvation in Jesus Christ your final destination is heaven. Get on to God’s course by asking God to save you in Jesus Christ. Your first concern is salvation in Jesus Christ and nothing else.

2) Sanctification: God’s course for all of us who belong to God in Christ is that we be holy and loving and become more and more like Jesus. God’s course has character as its goal. God uses pain and suffering, trials, persecution, instruction, service, worship, prayer, blessing, each day to make us like Jesus. Our striving is to follow after God by faith and to become like Jesus. Our destiny is heaven and to be like Jesus.

3) Glorification: One day all our strivings will come to an end and we will be with God forever. That is the hope, the joy, the promise to which we look to each day as we exert ourself in the contest that God sets before us.

Let me close by doing two things. First I want to put this phrase, “let us run the race that is set before us” into my own words. Based on the meaning of the words used here is my translation. The author is writing, “join me by exerting yourself in the contest that God is setting before us”.

Second I want to share with you how I picture this phrase. I see myself traveling on a narrow road. Before me, on this narrow road, are many different contests that God has set before me. The contest of being holy in a godless world, with many temptations to my flesh. The contest of parenting sinful children as a sinful parent. The contest of honesty and integrity in my work, with a desire to share Christ with my fellow workers. The contest of finances in a world that is increasing in its demands to get what I have worked for. The contest of my relationship with my wife and relatives and friends. The contest for time to deepen my relationship with God and my understanding of God’s word. Through all of these “agona” set before me by God I must endure. Each contest requires a different response but all require the response of faith. I must stand under the weight of responsibility and trials, and exert myself to live by faith.

Now the weight of all the contests in this narrow road can be very crushing and discouraging if it were not for three things: 1) The examples of those who have gone before me including Jesus himself. 2) The strength that my relationship with God provides each day. More about this next week. 3) And the promises, hope, and joy that God has set before me. On this wide road full of daily contests I frequently see on each side of the road, large flashing florescent signs.  Some of these signs have pictures of past saints that say “Go for it Ron”. Others have a picture of Christ crucified. Others have the words “heaven just ahead”, “eternity just down the road”, “the date for your appointment before God has been set”, “glorification is right around the corner”, “resurrection near at hand”. These encouragements from the past saints give me strength for the present. The present strength of my daily relationship with God in Christ keeps me going. The hope and joy that are promised in the future, cause me to strive in the contest that God has placed before me. So brothers and sisters, endure and strive, in the course that God has set before you, until you get to the end.

May God fill all of us with a renewed vision of our God, and a determination to endure and to exert ourselves until we attain to the great promises of God.