A Man And His Character

A 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile run.. I know, you were thinking that I was describing my daily workout routine! Nope – it’s the Kona, Hawaii Triathlon World Championships. You may have seen a commercial on the television during the Super Bowl or in the months since that focus on a Triathlon runner – the image is haunting. If you haven’t seen it before, please watch this Gatorade Ad:

What is it that drives a person to do this to themselves? What could possibly propel a person to such extremes? Let me read a portion of an article that Chris wrote last year. It’s entitled, “Why?”

I started this sport because I loved to race. I loved challenging myself and challenging my competitors. It wasn't for glory or for acknowledgement but for the satisfaction in achieving my goals and bettering my own performance.

If your motives are correct then your execution will be even better, when times are tough you will have something to draw from, something that is imbedded deep within. Nothing can take that passion away.[i]

I am drawn to one line in that article in particular, it reads, “It wasn't for glory or for acknowledgement but for the satisfaction in achieving my goals…”

Today we continue our series, “Have You Got What It Takes To Be God’s Man?” This series is targeted toward men, and is intended to call them to vital relationships with Christ. While we are focusing primarily on men, ladies, you are not off the hook. You will find, as I’m sure you already have, that these principles apply to you as much as to the men in the room. But the call on my heart in these days is to target you guys…

In sports, when a player has given his all, they say he “left it all on the playing field.” Chris Legh literally did that. He pushed himself beyond the limits – he is a man who understands our topic of the day – Perseverance. Perseverance is defined as, “Steady persistence in adhering to a course of action, a belief, or a purpose; steadfastness.”[ii]

The Bible is full of challenges for us to persevere. Anyone who believes that the life of a believer in Jesus Christ is a life of endless happiness, great prosperity, constant victory and ease is simply not reading the Book. Paul calls believers in Philippians 3:13&14 to “press on toward the goal to win the prize.” The qualities that are needed in men and women of God are endurance, steadfastness, overcoming, faithfulness and strength. These are not qualities needed in couch potatoes or pew warmers – these are qualities that are needed in people who are in difficult, tough circumstances. And that is exactly the type of circumstance that the man of God finds himself in.

Of all the passages that call for perseverance, I don’t think any is as vivid as Hebrews chapter 12. You might remember that just a few weeks ago we spent our Easter Sunday discussion time in this same passage. At that time we talked about Jesus’ amazing endurance in the face of overwhelming obstacles. So how do we face this life with its challenges with Christ like perveverance? Read with me these first 12 verses.

I want us to take a look at the imperatives that we are given in these verses:[iii]

If we are going to persevere, to be steady and steadfast in a difficult world, we need to throw off that which hinders us, and the sin that entangles. I think it is interesting that there is a distinction between “that which hinders” and “the sin that entangles.” We usually lump them together, don’t we? But there is a distinction. Let’s look at each one separately.

We’ll start with the sin, because that’s probably easier to define. This is not tough guys – you know what it is that entangles you, don’t you? It’s not going to be the same for everyone, but everyone knows what theirs is. It may be lust – sexual or material – wanting something that is not yours. It may be anger – a temper that is explosive and uncontrolled. It could be pride – the whole world revolves around you, your needs and your demands. It could be pessimism, jealousy, lying, overeating – any number of things can be that sin that just trips us up.

Then there’s that other part – that “everything that hinders” thing. God is calling us to not only dump the sin that entangles, but anything that hinders us! It is purposely left distinct from “sin.” This is possibly something good that gets in the way of our goal. It could literally be anything – even some area of service for others – that gets in the way of our personal growth and faithfulness to God. Whatever it is that you find is pulling you down, not allowing you to progress in the race – it has to go.

That is the radical teaching of this verse – anything that hinders, anything that trips us up – must be gotten rid of! This is tough – it could be some radical move that others might not understand – but if we are serious about finishing the course, radical moves may be necessary. Chris Legh mentions in his article the things that he has had to do throw out – he writes,

if you are going to spend less time with your family, depriving yourself of nights out with friends, facing those early morning swim starts or missing out on the simple pleasures of life such as a pie or a donut at the football game, then you better be doing this for the right reasons.

Should an athlete, who runs for the sheer joy of running, have better reasons for denying himself than a Christian, who has been called to run with perseverance the race that has been set before him? I don’t think so…it’s simply a question of our heart – are we willing to pay the price to reach the prize? But there’s more than just throwing off; we also need to run.

For years computer gamers have had a marketing phrase, “Get in the game!” The writer of Hebrews says the same thing to each of us – “Get in the game! – Run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” It’s kind of ironic, isn’t it, that the phrase “Get in the game” is used by computer gamers? People who don’t actually “get into” anything at all?

I could go over to Dick’s sporting goods at the mall, pick myself up the very best in running gear – light-weight shorts, the right shirt, a cap or sweatband to keep the perspiration out of my eyes, shoes that provide excellent support and that fit right. I could spend hundreds of dollars getting all the right look – but if I never lift my foot, and extend it, and set it down, and pick up the next and move myself forward – then I am not a runner! I am a wannabe. Talk is free, clothing is cheep, shoes are pricey, but they do me no good if I don’t pay the price of actually doing the run.

The same is true of our Christian lives. We can talk – it costs us nothing. We can look the look – it’s cheep – we can purchase ourselves the most trendy Christian books and Bibles – but if we do not actually open that Bible – if we don’t pay the price of actually living the life of Christ – we are a wannabe Christian – and we will never cross the finish line.

Once we start moving – we have to keep our eyes on the goal. In verse 2 we read, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…” Jesus is our example – for his entire life He kept His mind on His goal. Even at 12 – listen to this young people – at 12 years old, when Jesus was left accidentally at the Temple in Jerusalem, (see, that doesn’t just happen to you – it happens to all of us as kids at some point!) When His parents eventually found Him, He was teaching in the Temple, and the expressed their concern. Do you know what He said? He said, “Didn’t you know that I would be doing my Father’s business?” You are never too young to be focusing on the Lord! Don’t let anyone tell you that you need to wait until you’re an adult to follow Jesus! Don’t tell yourself that you can play around with it for a while, and get right with God later – start now –whatever your age!

But it wasn’t just youthful exuberance that Jesus had – all through His life, He was focused on His task – on finishing well the work the Father had given Him to do. He said over and over “I have come to do the work of Him Who sent Me.” “I must be about My Father’s work.” On the night before He died, He prayed, “I have completed the work You gave me to do.” And on the cross, His last words were, “It is accomplished.” Jesus is the picture of focus – and it is a picture that we are called to reflect in our lives. We are called to, like Jesus, see beyond the pain of the moment, and see the joy set before us. Yes, we may have to deny our selfish desires and lusts here – we may have to throw off some stuff that others will never understand, but it will be worth it!

That thought is expanded by the next imperative – “Consider Him who endured such opposition…so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.” It’s interesting that the phrase “grow weary and lose heart” was a phrase that was used to describe a runner who had collapsed in one of the Greek races. The writer of Hebrews tells us to avoid that kind of collapse by remembering the trials of Jesus. Wrongly accused, abandoned by His friends, physically and spiritually tormented – and yet Jesus kept His focus.

The next paragraph immediately goes to a discussion of our struggle against sin – and the discipline, rebukes and punishments that we sometimes face as a result of the sin we allow to entangle us. The throwing off of that sin that weighs us down is something that is an ongoing part of the Christian marathon. It’s not just a once time thing. It is a call to Endurance.

A couple of years ago I decided I was going to run a marathon…someday! I started running at the Tag Center each day, then when the weather got nice, I stared running around the countryside by our house – I got up to running 3 miles a day. I ran in a couple of 5k runs. I was feeling pretty good – but we had a couple of trips that early summer, and I didn’t run while we were out of town. Then I decided that I wanted to run in the Audubon Days fun run – even though I hadn’t been running for several weeks by that time – and I pulled a muscle in my leg about half way up German Street. I finished, but it was really painful. I quit running. And didn’t start up again until just recently. My point is this – deciding to begin the program is great – taking those first few steps are important – making the tough decisions about eating and drinking right are important – but they have to be renewed each day. If we stop – we will never reach our goal.

In the same way, making a decision to follow Christ, getting all pumped up about it and getting of on an excited good start is just that – a good start – but if we don’t keep making those decisions to throw off the sin that entangles –if we don’t keep our focus – if we don’t get up each morning and decide that we are going to actually run the race – then we will never reach the goal that God has for us – maturity, effectiveness and faithfulness. And when that happens, we leave ourselves open for the natural consequences – like a pulled joy muscle – or a pain in our relationship ligaments, or worse. The writer here reminds us that the Lord disciplines those He LOVES – and he punishes his children…When you face pain in your life – when the Lord brings that discipline or punishment – it’s because He loves you…even though you may not want it – and you certainly may not enjoy it – it even says that here – “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest…”

The last imperative for us is found in verse 12: “Strengthen your feeble arms and week knees…” This really ties in closely with the last section on enduring the pain. When a person is involved in weight training, the most effective building of muscle is when the muscle is being pushed to its limits. It’s called “training to failure” pushing the workout to the point where it is physically impossible to do one more repetition – the muscle has been brought to it’s limit.

Sometimes the endurance and the struggle can bring us to the point of feeling like we’re about to fail – we’re just don’t feel like we can give it any more – have any of us been there – Today? Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. Guess what? Those very well may be the times when we are gaining more strength than at any other time in our lives. You know that old cliché; “that which does not kill me only serves to make me stronger”? That’s true in our lives as a Christian perhaps more than any other part of life – for the battle that rages against us is more than just an issue of wills – it is a battle of supernatural dimensions – “for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers and authorities and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” [Eph 6:12] With that as our challenge, it may very well be that we feel like we’re at the end of our endurance - but those are times when we can press on, and strengthen our feeble arms and week knees.

You might think me crazy to call you to the kind of perseverance that Chris Legh has when he runs a triathlon – but I’m actually calling you to an even higher example – the example of Jesus Christ…and the reality of the situation is that it’s not me calling you to that standard at all – it is God Himself who calls us! It is time, men, to stop playing at Christianity – wearing the name, carrying the Book, speaking the language, but not living the life of Christ inside and out. Quite frankly, I’m frustrated by the astounding lack of spiritual perseverance I see in my life and in the church. May God save us from our own spiritual flabbiness – by whatever means necessary!

Lord God, You know all things. You know my heart. You know the shame and the hypocrisy I feel in sharing these words this morning. None here this morning is more needy of this challenge than I. Oh, God, prevent us from being hearers, but not doers of your Word. Keep us from the temptation to take in these words, agree with them, but not act upon them. Holy Spirit of God, pierce each heart – do not allow us to continue on in our shallow, half-hearted efforts at the Christian walk – do what is necessary to shape us into the men and women of God that you intend us to be.

We started off this morning with a Gatorade Commercial. Their slogan is: “Is it in you?”

When we gather around the Lord’s table, we remember the death of Jesus, and the life that his death gives us. Jesus Himself established that this is the way we should remember His death. He chose bread and wine – symbols of His broken body and shed blood. He chose symbols that we ingest – that get inside us. He said once, “Remain in me and I will remain in you.”

There are some traditions that believe that the bread and wine actually become the physical body and blood of Jesus – I believe that they simply serve as a symbolic reminder of the physical – but His presence in our lives is not symbolic.

The presence of the Holy Spirit within us provides us with the necessary spiritual elements we need for peek performance, if we will simply allow Him to flow freely through every part of our lives. All the Gatorade in the world could be in my refrigerator, but if it’s not flowing through my bloodstream, it’s not going to do me any good. Even so, the Holy Spirit in my life, but not allowed to do His work, will do me little good.

If you’ve never been to Gateway for a communion service, let me invite you to this table. You don’t have to be a member of this church, or even a regular attender. But you do need to be a member of the family of God. If you have examined the claims of Jesus Christ, and asked Him to forgive you for your sins, and be your Savior and Lord, then you are welcome at this table. If you have not made that decision yet – that’s OK! We are here to present the evidence to you and allow you to come to that place – but until you do – you should wait on this part of the service.

Or better yet, why not make this the day when you settle the issue? If you are tired of living a frustrating, meaningless life – why not find a purpose in Jesus Christ – become the man or woman that God intends you to be – in your own heart, you can simply ask Jesus to come into your life, bring forgiveness, and be your Savior and Lord.

[i] http://www.tritravel.com.au/newsletter/2004-1-29legh.htm

A Man And His Character – Perseverance