Our reading is from Hebrews chapter
11 and 12. It's not the whole of either
of the chapters, just a few verses from each. And we begin at verse
32 of chapter 11, just up to verse 3 of chapter 12. Hebrews
11 and verse 32. And what shall I more say? For
the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and
of Samson, and of Jephthah, of David also, and Samuel, and of
the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness,
obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the
violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness
were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the
armies of the aliens. Women received their dead, raised
to life again, and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance,
that they might obtain a better resurrection. And others had
trial of cruel mockings and scourgings yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn
asunder, were tempted, were slain with a sword. They wandered about
in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented. Of whom the world was not worthy,
they wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and
caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained
a good report through faith, receive not the promise, God
having provided some better thing for us, that they without us
should not be made perfect. Wherefore, seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset
us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who
for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne
of God. For consider him that ensured such contradiction of
sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your
minds. Amen. Struck me the first two verses
there of Hebrews chapter 12. Wherefore, seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset
us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who
for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne
of God. Just a few thoughts really on
these two verses and I've got 10 e-words for each sort of section of the
verse we begin with the very well obviously
the start and the first phrase wherefore seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses and the
first e word is evidence now hebrews 11 if we were to read
the whole of the chapter mentions there the faith of abel Enoch,
Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab,
Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, plus some others
who are not specifically named. So that's quite a catalogue,
quite an impressive catalogue of saints there the hall of faith
as it's sometimes called they might sort of give the impression
to people that here we are we have all these witnesses looking
down on us and cheering us on but of course that's not the
situation because if they were to look
down at situation now and how we struggle on as Christians
there I'm sure would be tears wouldn't there and we're told
that in heaven there are no tears and a sermon I heard recently
mentioned about you know there's no tears shed in glory But here we have in that chapter,
Hebrews chapter 11, and then throughout history, isn't it,
we have a whole great number of those who can say with Paul
in 2 Timothy 4, 7 and 8, I have fought a good fight. I have finished
my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid up for
me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge
shall give me at that day and not to me only but unto all them
also that love his appearing it's not just for one person
or even a few people that's spanning a certain period of time but
for all God's people and it's good isn't it to be able to say
that at the the end of our lives yes by the grace of God we have
fought a good fight finished the course set before us kept
the faith not in our own strength but as helped by the Lord henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord
the righteous judge shall give me at that day but not just to
me but unto all them that love his appearing and so there's a great number
of witnesses isn't there down through the ages those who can
testify to the grace of God. So there's evidence there in
the lives, testimonies of so many people in the scriptures
and throughout all ages and in our current day as well. then secondly we have let us
lay aside every weight and the second e-word is encumberment
I had this theme of words beginning with e so once I had that I had
to go with it but basically it's not being weighed down with something
can you imagine Usain Bolt, great sprint runner. Well, he wouldn't
have broken his world records if he had a lead weight. He had
to run with a lead weight around his waist. Well, nobody running a race is
going to go very quickly if they've got some hindrance, some weight
around them like that. and weights though aren't necessarily
sinful but there are many things that
aren't necessarily sinful but that can distract us can weigh
us down in life and distract us and I say they may be very
innocent things and not sins at all And yet we can become
obsessed with them and they can distract us and take us away
from the Lord. So we must be careful, mustn't
we, of those things. Then we read, and the sin, thirdly,
which doth so easily beset us. And this word is enticement. and there are things that are
wrong that can entice us lead us astray and it speaks of like being beset
besetting sins that sort of word means something that's persistent
a persistent problem something that's nagging away I think the
Puritans sort of called it like darling sins they don't want
to let go of these sins perhaps like an Achilles heel maybe we
can all think of particular areas where we are are weak and it
seems as though we're stuck with him stuck with it for the rest
of our lives in sporting terms you can think of a bogey team
that is a we can never beat them they always beat us we always
lose to them and maybe sometimes we consider sins in our lives
so they can't be defeated well we can't defeat them of course
in our own strength but we look to the Lord to help us and something maybe weakness
for you which is not for that person but that person has a
has a different weakness it's not for you you know you're quite
strong in that area but they're weak and vice versa well of course Satan's roaring
around isn't he prowling around and trying to catch us out may we be helped in with sin
in our lives and then fourthly and let us
run and the fourth e-word is encouragement
let us is often an encouraging word isn't it sometimes people can be encouraged
let us do that and it might be something that's wrong But it's
often a word of encouragement, whether it is to do something
wrong or right. Let us do that. Let us go there. Let us whatever. It's sort of a word of encouragement. And let us comes up a couple
of times in our reading. In Hebrews 10, 25, in the chapter
before, It says, not forsaking the assembling
of ourselves together as a manner of some is, but exalting one
another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. In other words, you know, let
us join with the people of God. Let's go up to the house of God. May there be that enthusiasm
and encouragement to do that. And it's good, isn't it, to be
able to do that if we're able to join ourselves together. And we're told there, as I said,
in Hebrews 10, to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. We know for some it's difficult
for them to attend a house of God and very reliant on live
stream or recordings. but as we're able it's good isn't
it to be able to meet together to worship God to encourage one
another and then fifthly we have with patience and the fifth word
is endurance and we read in Romans 5 free
and not only so but we give glory in tribulations also knowing
that tribulation work of patience. Romans 5 and verse 3. Patience, part of the fruit of
the Spirit. And we may suffer from lack of
patience. We see it so much, don't we?
People very impatient. particularly if you're on the
roads or something like that and you're going a bit slow.
We know that, don't we? But here we learn to learn patience. Maybe that through tribulation,
that's how we learn it. That we're tried and tested.
And then at the end we say, yeah, I've learned patience through
that. Whereas I ran in and just did
things without thinking, now I consider. So tribulation could be a good
thing to help bring about patience. And then sixthly, we have the
race that is set before us and the E word is endeavour. endeavour,
the race that is set before us. We all have a race, don't we? A Christian race. But God knows what hurdles there
are that will be along the way, along the race. Just as with
some races there's hurdles, isn't there? You have to go over the
hurdles. and there's a race for each one
it's a different race isn't it but it's set before us but the
all-knowing God knows that race and will help us through that
race and to clear those hurdles when they come and whatever those
hurdles may be So we endeavour sort of also
following on from encouragement, sort of working at it, persisting,
keep going, sort of a bit like encouragement as well, you know,
keep going. so that was sixly and then seventhly
we have looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith
and the seventh word is eyesight yes we look unto Jesus I'm sure our natural eyesight
varies some of us wear glasses and some don't and I'm sure that
our eyesight varies doesn't it but may it be that we have a
spiritual eyesight that is like 20-20 vision that we have a clear
view of the Lord with no blurriness or or anything of the problems
that we have with our natural eyes. And looking unto Jesus
and just as with the theme of the athlete again, you know,
particularly in the sprint race, you know, looking, see there
in head the finishing line. so it is that it's got that tunnel
vision and looking not being distracted and I think I was reading the
other day of Roger Bannister and somebody who was running
with him in a race not when he broke the record but in some
other race and this other man I think was going to beat him
quite easily but then the other one he sort
of he kind of looked around and in the end Roger Bannister
sort of overtook him and so he lost because he didn't have that
tunnel vision he didn't have that sight on the finishing flag,
on the finishing line. And so it's very easy to be distracted,
as I said earlier, with sins that beset us and things that
can distract us, whether they're sinful or not. But may we have
that focus upon the Lord at all times. Lord who is the author and finisher
of our faith and we read in Revelation 22 of the Lord I am Alpha and
Omega the beginning and the end the first and the last and of
course everything in between as well not just there at the
beginning or the end but in between as well the Lord said I will
be with you as he said to Joshua when we looked a couple of weeks
ago at Joshua and the great commission for Joshua after Moses had died. While I was with Moses, so I
will be with you as well. So God is the beginning, the
ending and everything in between. then eighthly we have who for
the joy that was set before him the e-word there is expectation
who for the joy that was set before him now you wouldn't think there's
any joy in suffering or crucifixion is what the Lord went through
but the outcome of his active and his passive obedience and
his ultimate death, well then there was resurrection of course,
ascension and the gathering of all God's
people together. He came to save his people, not
one of them would be lost and the work was completed, the work
was completed perfectly and not one of the Lord's people will
ever be lost. And really that was the joy,
that was why the Lord came wasn't it? He didn't have to come from
glory into this sin-sick world to save people knowing full well
why he was, what he would have to go through before he suffered. And here we are, the ninth point. Endure the cross, despising the
shame. The ninth word is experience.
That's what he went through as the God man, as man. He knew what it was to suffer
and to experience things that we do as man as well. And if we read Isaiah 53, well,
where we have, don't we, a wonderful commentary of the Lord's sufferings,
just a few verses. He is despised and rejected of
men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid as it
were our faces from him. He was despised. We esteemed
him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. So it was, he
was, he was. This is what he experienced.
It wasn't fiction. This is really what the Lord
went through. Indeed, a man of sorrows, indeed. So who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and finally,
temply, is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Final E word is exaltation. Yes. The Lord, after his suffering,
said, and he rose, then he ascended, and is the right hand of God
the Father. And he, of course, will come
again, but not to suffer and die. Come in great glory. And he's in glory now. And we read, don't we, Philippians
2 speaks there much of the humility
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and verse 9 of Philippians 2, wherefore
God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow of things in heaven, things on earth, and things under
the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Every knee shall
bow one day. Everyone shall acknowledge the
Lord whether they want to or not. Every knee shall bow and
every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father. And you just think of, you know,
the great song Worthy is a lamb. We said that's
about the last part of Handel's Messiah isn't it and it's a great
ending to that oratorio to listen to that bit at the end. Worthy
is a lamb and what a what a choir, what a scene it
will be in glory with praise and glory to the Lamb of those who are
the redeemed and who will praise Him with unsinning hearts. We can't really begin to imagine
how wonderful it will be but I sort of really those two verses sort of struck
me the other day and it's something that I was reading too just prompted
some thoughts as well so wherefore seeing we also are compassed
about with so great cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every
weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us let us run
with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God. Well, much more
can be said. It's tremendous words, aren't
they? but we'll be coming to prayer
soon but just a few thoughts on those verses now and may the
Lord bless his word to our hearts. Amen.