PURSUING THE RIGHT GOAL
Hebrews 12:14-17
Art Carey describes his experience in the Boston Marathon:
“. . . the rigors of having run nearly 20 miles are beginning to tell. My stride has shortened. My legs are tight. My breathing is shallow and fast... Half-dollar size blisters sting the soles of my feet. I’m beginning to feel queazy and light-headed. I want to stop. I have “hit the wall.”
Up the first of many long inclines I start to climb. . . . Six miles away, Bill Rodgers has won again. His ordeal is done; the most intense of my own is about to begin.
“Heartbreak hill”—the last, the longest and the steepest, a half-mile struggle against gravity, designed to finish off the faint and faltering. The last 4 miles seem endless. Some runners trudge along in bare feet, holding the shoes that bloodied their feet. Others team up to help each other, limping along, arm-in-arm, like battle-weary soldiers returning from the front.
I can see the yellow stripe 50 yards ahead. I run faster, defying leg cramps. . . . 40 yards, 30 yards, 20 yards . . . cheers and clapping . . . 10 yards . . . finish line . . . an explosion of euphoria . . . I’m clocked in at 2 hours, 50 minutes, and 49 seconds. My place: 1,176.
Times and places do matter and breaking a personal record is thrilling (esp. as you grow older), but the real joy of the Boston Marathon is just finishing ... doing what you set out to do.”
Hebrews deals with a similar experience: running the marathon of life.
It exhorts us to keep going, trust God and remain faithful. 3 appeals:
Draw near to Christ by faith 10:22
Hold firmly to our hope, without wavering 10:23
Don’t give in to discouragement, but encourage each other 10:24-25 => 11
Examples of people who trusted God in hard times encourage us to follow in their footsteps.
He urges us to remove all obstacles and run the race with patient endurance 12:1
The supreme example of faith and faithfulness in the midst of affliction is Jesus 12:2-3
He was willing to die on the cross, to fulfill God’s plan and make possible our salvation.
We should focus on Him while we run our race.
Thinking about what He went through should encourage us,
so we don’t grow weary running our race.
Last week we considered the Exhortation against Discouragement 12:4-13
The hard times we’re going through are part of God’s training program.
God is taking us through a rigorous course, designed to make us all He wants us to be.
God’s training program is designed to produce holiness;
eventually it will yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness. 12:10-11
Therefore, we’re urged to come alongside the weak and help each other to keep going 12:12-13; [ Next he urges us to pursue peace with one another–to pull together. ]
TWO POSITIVE COMMANDS lead to the finish line: 12:14
1. Pursue peace with everyone.
When we face affliction, we turn attention inward, seeking to protect ourselves.
In Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, God-fearing elves join with God-fearing dwarves to oppose the Dark Lord.
Suddenly they begin to quarrel, calling down plagues on each other’s necks.
One of the wiser ones observes: “Indeed in nothing is the power of the Dark Lord more clearly seen than in the estrangement that divides those who oppose him.”
“Pursue” is an aggressive term => chasing enemies or persecuting someone.
We are to actively chase after peace—not just passively allow it to come to us.
The world tells us this is a dog-eat-dog world; we have to fight and claw.
The natural tendency in the midst of affliction is to try to defend ourselves.
That leads to conflict with others.
In the midst of the struggle, God urges us to pursue peace,
not look out for our own interests and destroy one another.
Peter advises Christians facing adversity: “seek peace; chase after it.” 1 Pet. 3:11
Paul adds: “So far as it depends on you, be at peace with everyone.” Rom. 12:18
Sometimes it’s not within our power; sometimes we can’t do anything about it.
But we’re still to chase it–chasing peace should be our active pursuit.
[Second, we’re to chase after holiness]
2. Pursue holiness—be set apart—different from the world around us.
It’s that godly characteristic that makes it possible for people to see the Lord.
Two ways to understand his comment about this second pursuit:
1) Pursue holiness because it’s a prerequisite to seeing God.
This view seems to go against 200+ passages that say we come to God by trusting Christ alone.
Holiness is the visible result of trusting Christ; when we trust Him,
we’re dressed in His righteousness; God sees us as holy.
[ But there’s a better way to understand this passage: ]
* 2) Pursue holiness because that’s how people see God.
Through our unique lifestyle—God is revealed –1 Cor. 6:19-20
Instead of fighting to survive or come out on top, pursue a unique lifestyle, conformed to the image of His Son, transformed by renewing our minds.
=> We’ll stand out like a bright light in a dark room.
The way to finish well in life’s marathon is to chase after peace and holiness
—to “make every effort to live in peace with everyone, and to be holy.”
[Three things we should “watch out” for: ]
THREE NEGATIVE WARNINGS 12:15-17
These warnings are worded in a collective form—addressed to all of us.
“See to it” describes what an elder is supposed to do.
They’re to be overseers, to watch over God’s flock.
We’re ALL to watch out for one another, lest anyone fall into one of these three traps.
Not only are WE not to do these things; but we’re collectively responsible for each other,
not to let anyone fall into any of these traps.
This is true biblical accountability!
It’s how we care for each other when we love each other as Christ loved the church.
Involve ourselves in each other’s lives; assume responsibility to help each other.
1. Keep watching lest anyone miss out on God’s grace. 15a
This warning is based on 4:16: We’re urged not to run from God to escape affliction, but to approach His throne with confidence,
so we might receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
If we run away from God,
we come up short of grace, lacking it when we need it most!
We miss out on His grace in our lives, in our time of need. 2 Cor. 12:9
The root is used in “hysterectomy;” lit., “to be without,” “to be lacking.”
We’re warned lest we end up with a spiritual “hysterectomy” –lacking God’s grace– so that we not come up short of God’s best for our life.
We could become so focused on suffering that we don’t take refuge in Him,
and don’t experience His grace, to enable us to endure adversity.
We avoid that risk by approaching God’s throne in times of affliction.
We cling to Him; we feed on His Word; we take refuge in Him.
2. Keep watching lest any root of bitterness spring up. 15b
In contrast to drawing near to God, we might become angry with God because of the rigorous training He’s putting us through.
Bitterness establishes a tenacious root system.
I used to have to dig out weeds that were taking over the parking area of our front yard.
Pulling up the roots is hard work.
If you don’t get it all, it grows up and takes over again. That’s what bitterness is like!
Have you ever had to remove a tap root?
You keep trying to get rid of the weed but it doesn’t go away.
Finally you decide to dig out the root completely.
Four feet later, you come to a large, bulbous root!
Only after you get rid of that ugly thing, can you breathe a sigh of relief.
A bitter root produces bitter fruit.
It spreads its poison all over the neighborhood.
Bitterness causes lots of damage.
Bitterness contaminates others.
When life is hard and affliction rampant, don’t let bitterness take root and destroy what God wants to accomplish!
People all over are going through hard times—Many are hurting badly.
No hurt penetrates so deeply, nor causes so much damage, as bitterness.
It will destroy a marriage; it will destroy a church!
It can convert a friendly outgoing Scout leader into a raging killer.
Allowed to fester, toxic fumes foam to a boil.
Pressure mounts. It’s only a matter of time until pressure cooker explodes.
Watch out for bitterness.
Don’t let it go unchecked. Don’t let it take root!
3. Keep watching lest anyone become immoral or godless 16-17
Careful study and the Illustration indicate the meaning isn’t exactly what we think!.
Bible is full of examples of people who suffer loss, but inherit God’s blessing
The real danger: escaping physical suffering, but missing out on God’s blessing.
Esau is depicted as stereotypical of a carnal person, who tries to hang on to God and satisfy the appetites of the flesh at the same time.
Two issues in Esau’s story, both relate to normal physical desires.
These normal, good desires lead Esau to make bad decisions.
O.T. never speaks of fornication,
but it does indicate he made sexual choices that compromised his faith.
Gen. 26 his parents are concerned because he married two Canaanite women.
Rather than hold principle of marrying within God’s family–marrying a spouse committed to Yahweh—he pursues the physical beauty of pagan girls.
His sensual focus makes faithfulness to God a low priority.
It isn’t all that important! He’s more concerned about his physical desires.
“Sexually immoral” normally used not to describe “fornication” but prostitution.
Esau sold himself, to satisfy his physical needs.
That’s true even if only incident were selling his birthright for a meal!
He sells himself out, to satisfy his physical need.
* Not concerned about pleasing God.
* Concerned about satisfying his own needs. (Carnal/“prostitution”)
* Not concerned about living for God. (Godless => without God)
Second part of warning: “a godless person.”
Describes the opposite of someone committed to God.
Refers to person with no regard for God, who leaves God out of his life.
We sometimes refer to such a person as a practical atheist
—not that they don’t believe God exists. It just doesn’t make any difference.
Because we misunderstand meaning, we tend to think this is directed to others.
We aren’t “immoral and godless.”
But this is a person who has sold himself to same values as his neighbors,
without taking into account what God wants his life to look like.
Living for God isn’t a high priority in his life.
Do we know anyone like that? What difference does God make in our life? Does our belief in God make a difference in the way we live?
Or do we look like everybody else in our neighborhood?
Esau came home from hunting famished.
He trades spiritual blessing for a bowl of vegetable stew.
His choice stems from the low value he places on spiritual things.
Spiritual issues make little or no practical difference in his life.
He comments: “I’m about to die... what good is the birthright to me?”
Esau is focused on what we can see and touch.
As a result, he misses out on the blessings to which he is entitled.
No amount of repentance or tears could restore the blessings he lost.
He couldn’t change his mind and turn back the clock. It’s too late!
It’s quite clear that he sought the blessing with tears.
He never did repent—he tries to kill Jacob.
He seeks to get the blessing back; but it’s too late!
Likewise, they shouldn’t give in to temptation to escape by selling their stand or they will lose their blessing and be subject to coming judgment.
[ What do we learn by observing Esau’s example? ]
Application is clear: Esau missed out on God’s blessing.
Likewise, if we don’t avail ourselves of God’s provision of strength, if we become bitter because of our circumstances, exchanging spiritual blessings for momentary relief from the pressure, we’ll miss out on the blessing God has promised us.
It’s possible for us to focus on things others focus on, that distract us from the race.
If we stop focusing on the goal, we’ll never endure to the end of the race.
We must chase after what God promised to those who endure to the end of the race —His peace and holiness—not the things society tells us are important.
We must stop chasing after what the world is chasing after.
Lest we miss out on His grace—which He wants to give us.
Lest we become bitter and contaminate everyone around us with our bitterness.
Lest we chase after satisfaction of our desires, our comfort and contentment,
and miss out on the blessing God promises to give His children.
So what’s the key issue here?
The danger of placing our personal desires above God’s desires.
We’ve been deceived into thinking we deserve the good life. “God owes us comfort and pleasure.” When we don’t get it we feel deceived and disillusioned.
God has been inundating my life with people who are not enjoying the good life —people who want to live for God, but for whom everything is not all roses.
They’re going through hard times. God hasn’t sent them relief.
“Has God failed us?” No. God never promised comfort and pleasure!
God promises that those who seek to live godly lives WILL suffer affliction.
HOW SHOULD THIS EXHORTATION CHANGE OUR LIVES THIS WEEK?
How are we going to respond when life doesn’t turn out the way WE think it should?
When life isn’t treating us well,
we have to learn to trust God and hang in there.
Focus on Jesus and what He endured, then run our race with patient endurance.
Hebrews reminds us that Scripture is filled with accounts of faithful, godly people,
who trusted God and lived for Him, but never found comfort and pleasure in this life.
God promises that the faithful ultimately triumph,
but not on our schedule, nor even in this life.
He calls us to trust Him, draw near to Him, hang on to our hope, and encourage each other.
Pursue peace and holiness. Pull together; live a different lifestyle that glorifies God!
—cling to what God has given us, by His grace.
—guard against the bitterness that will eat us alive.
—give first place to pleasing God, not to satisfying our own needs.
Having our priorities right and fixing our focus on God will enable us to draw near to God, to hang on to our hope, and encourage one another, rather than run for the exits, and lose the inheritance He has promised to those who trust Him.
The prize is worth it, but we will never remain faithful, unless our focus is fixed on Him.
Art Carey concluded: “The real joy of the Boston Marathon is just finishing . . . doing what you set out to do.”
Can you imagine what it is going to be like, after life’s numerous “heartbreak hills” and bloody feet, when we cross the finish line having finished well, with our eyes fixed on Jesus, the “trailblazer, and the perfecter” of faith?
The joy of the Christian marathon is found in finishing. May WE finish well!
Paul affirms at end of his race:
“I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” Will we?