Lake Ellen Camp Men’s Winter Retreat 2007

Running Light

Hebrews 12:1-4

Saturday Morning

Good morning, Men of God!

I trust you all had a good night’s rest after a busy week of work, and a day of travel yesterday to arrive here at Lake Ellen for this retreat. 

The theme for this weekend in “Walking Lite.” Last night we talked about living light – unburdened by the cares and concerns of this world – but there’s more ways than one to be “living light,” today we are going to shift our focus to two important features of living light – tonight we will talk about “fighting light,” a call for boldness. This morning we’re going to focus on “running light,” a call to perseverance.

In the first century, when the New Testament was written, sports were the largest entertainer of the day – much like our world today. Every city of any size possessed a stadium. The most popular sport in that day was the marathon. The Marathon was an event that grew out of Greek culture. In 490 BC the Persian army landed at the port city of Marathon, twenty six miles from Athens. The Greeks won a major battle against overwhelming odds. A solider named Philippides was sent to tell the good news to the capital city of Athens. When he reached the city, after running 26 miles, he shouted, "Rejoice, we conquer," and fell to the ground dead. Philippides became such a national hero that running in his honor became a national passion – and the Marathon was born. 

The Marathon is one of the most difficult of all sports to finish, but is enjoying a huge swing in popularity. In fact, last fall’s Marine Corps Marathon was the largest ever hosted, and was the fourth largest marathon in US history, with nearly 32,118 runners. I was one of them. Training for the Marathon lasted for more than a year. During that year I have learned some huge personal lessons about perseverance and endurance…I pray that the Holy Spirit will use them to encourage and challenge you in your life.

Of all the passages of Scripture that call us to run the race (and there are many), I don’t think any is as vivid as Hebrews chapter 12. Follow along as we read these first 12 verses.

[Read Hebrews 12:1-12]

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

 Throw off! Run! Focus! Consider!  Endure! Strengthen!

Throw Off!

[Video Clip: Forrest Gump – Run, Forest, Run! When the leg braces fall off and he runs very fast.]

Last night we talked about Base Camp – and the need for rest and renewal. Today we are going to change our focus to re-supply and re-charging.

When I ran my marathon, there was a place called “Runners Camp.” In Washington, it was the parking lot for the Pentagon. The runners would gather there early before the race to get ready – there were untold numbers of portable toilets, with thousands of runners waiting to get going. There were also 26 UPS trucks lined up – each with a letter of the alphabet on its side. Before the race began, runners would strip off their warm up clothes, because it was a cool October morning, and place those clothes in a bag, put their bib number on the bag, and leave it at the truck with the letter that corresponded to their last name. The UPS guys would then drive those trucks to the finish line, where the runners could pick up their stuff and put it on to stay warm after the race was finished.

Even with that, I’ve told friends of mine that if they need sports clothing, the place to go is the first two miles of a marathon – because there are gloves, hats, sweatpants, sweatshirts – laying along the side of the road during that first mile or two as people begin to throw off the extra layers they were wearing when the race began.

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, who runs triathlons (a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike race and a 26.2 mile marathon), wrote in an article about the things he had to give up - he wrote:

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.

Run! (Verse 12:1)

For years EA Sports, a company that makes computer games, has had a marketing phrase, “Get in the game!” 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? They sit around on their couches moving nothing but their thumbs, and the say, “Get in the game!” 

The writer of Hebrews says the same thing to each of us – “Get in the game!” But he means “Get in the game, get off your backsides and move it!” 

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.

Focus! (verse 2)

Once we start moving – we have to keep our eyes on the goal. 

I can’t tell you how many times I reminded myself of the finish line over the 18 months I prepared for the Marine Marathon. At the finish, right in front of the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, a young Marine Lieutenant shakes your hand, says, “well done, good job!” and puts a medal around your neck. Over the time as I prepared and ran and stretched and froze and sweated – I reminded myself of that finish – of how cool it was going to be to receive that medal…and it was! 

Men, when we finish this race, it will not be some young lieutenant putting a band of ribbon and a piece of metal around your neck – it will be Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who will reward you with crowns, and jewels and say, “Well done, Good and faithful servant!” That is our 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 – when Jesus was left accidentally at the Temple in Jerusalem. 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! You are never too old to get in the game! Don’t let anyone tell you that you need to wait until you’re an adult to follow Jesus! Don’t let anyone tell you you’re too old – you can’t make a difference.

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. (Read verse 2b) 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!

Consider! (verse 3)

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.

Endure!

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…”

Strengthen!

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!

Prayer

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.

Amen.