8th Sunday after Trinity – Sermon 44
Prayer to start
May the words of my lips and the thoughts of our hearts be graciously received for the Glory and Honour of our Lord Jesus Christ.
AMEN
Introduction
“With the great cloud of witnesses around us –
we must shake off every encumbrance and sin – and run with resolution the race which lies ahead of us – our eyes fixed on Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith “
The opening verse from our NT lesson –
The 12th chapter of Hebrews is one of the great classic passages on Christian life – in which the author likens the Christian faith to being in a race – the competing athletes have to be disciplined and committed to see it through – Spiritually fit for God
If you’ve been watching the Olympic Games qualifying races over the weekend – you’ll know that – athletes don’t win races on their own – they have help and support – the crowd cheering them on – a strict training programme to prepare for the race – and a coach to tell them the best way to win
In the Christian race we too have help and support – other Christians cheering us on – a personal training programme – a coach to tell us how to win
Through our readings – we are going to look at each one in turn – to see if it helps our understanding of how we can get Spiritually fit for God-
Point 1
Whether we like it or not we are all involved in a race – the human race through life – a journey through time that involves a start and a finish – for some that journey leads from birth to death and no further – but for those who come to know God –
The race through life is seen as so much more – and an anticipation of something more marvelous yet to come – our life is transformed into a joyful journey of faith – commitment and service
And to help us run the race we have our supporters club – the church – those who are running the race with us –and those who have run the race before us
In the 2nd Century BC – the Jews in Palestine were being pressured by their Sryian Rulers – to drop their alliegence to God and adopt a pro-Greek culture
Jesus Ben Sirach wrote his book Eccleseasticus to remind them about the importance of sticking to their faith – and using it to help them in life –
He writes about the greatness and the wisdom of God – that He is the creator and designer of the world around us – and the influential force in our lives –
In our reading – we have part of a hymn celebrating God’s glory and power through the natural wonders that we see around us – the clouds – the rain – snow – frost and ice – thunder and lightening – the forming of the land and sea –
“God is all “ he says we can never praise Him enough – He is beyond our understanding – our knowledge of Him is shallow – yet- He places everything before us –
“by God’s own actions His purpose succeeds – by His word all things are held together”
God’s creation of the world around us – is a symbol of His power and involvement in our lives – one of the great landmarks of our faith –
Faith is a key issue in the letter to the Hebrews – written nearly 4 centuries later. Some of the Jewish Christians who had moved away from Jerusalem to coastal towns like Ceasarea or Antioch were getting discouraged and losing enthusiasm for Christ – they were at risk of coming to a dead stop –
They needed some compelling reasons to stick with the race they had started – they needed reminding of the amazing revelation and salvation given to them by God through Jesus Christ – of the many blessing freely available to them
In chapter 11 he tells them about past heros such as Abraham and Moses – who are an inspiration and an example for them to follow – In our reading he reminds his readers of the importance of their own example as disciples of Christ – The future solidarity of our faith depends upon committment and upon the teaching we recieve from God – and he urges us not to take it lightly –
God’s motivation for His people is love – love for His church – love for His kingdom – He gave His only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins – so we can establish a new relationship with Him and be with Him –
The writer uses the example of a Fathers love for his children to describe the relationship that God wishes with us – He is our Father – we are His Sons – and our motivation to run His race should be our love for Him –
Faith and belief that God is with us and He has been with those who have gone before us – reminds us that we are not running this race alone – that we have many supporters cheering us on – urging us towards the winning post – but enthusiasm is not enough – we need training and preparation if we are to succeed –
Point 2 Throw off the restrictions
Our training programme is the life we live on this earth – our race is our preparation for what is to come after –
Running the Christian race is not easy – nor is it meant to be – at times it can be painful and discouraging – as Jesus told His disciples many times – to follow Him they too must take up the cross –
The writer of Hebrews tells us we must
“throw off every encumbrance and the sin that all too readily restricts us”
the Greek word for sin means – “missing the mark” or “falling short” – we withdraw our love from God in order to love something else –
Sometimes we drift into sin without realising – become sloppy towards relationships – compromise on things we know are wrong – and our Spiritual preparation and commitment to excellence for Christ suffers and the result is lost opportunities.
Sometimes other people encourage us to keep on with things that hinder our Spiritual growth – as the author of Hebrews puts it – we are persuaded by – “a noxious weed growing up to contaminate the rest”
We fail to show the world a redeeming and caring life modeled by Jesus Christ –
Jesus requires everything we have and much more – everything must be channeled towards His race – anything less will lead to us falling behind in the intentions of God –
sin sucks our vital energy and enthusiasm – causes us deep anxiety and worry – we must not shrug it off – keep it as a terrible secret – or explain it away as a situation of circumstance – but confess it directly to God – God the vine pruner will prune and remove the guilt – so we can continue the race
The Greek word for race is argon from which we get the word agony – the race that we run we must have endurance and commitment and overcome the aching desire to quit – the pain will come just as it comes in any race – bringing pressure on us to slow down or change direction
But there are two sides to pain – it can destroy or it can build character – everything depends upon our response – the pain we suffer doesn’t produce automatic results – as the writer to the Hebrews puts is “afterwards – those who have been trained by it – reap the harvest of a peaceful and upright life”
To be trained means to adopt a believing, rejoicing and thankful attitude towards God – even in the midst of the thousand and one annoyances and frustrations that meet us daily. Our loving Father – uses the trials that we face during life as part of our Spiritual discipline and education – there are no short cuts – discipline implies learning of skills – preparation for the things to come in our lives – and the results depend on the way we respond –
The fruit of success is sweet – the peacefull fruit of righteousness is given to those who reach the winning post – and to help us reach that goal we need the help of our coach – Jesus Christ
Point 3
For the Christian disciple there is only one way to run the race – and that is to look to Jesus Christ – to be guided by Him through the power of the Holy Spirit –
Jesus not only designed the race – but He was the first to complete it – He is the only one who can show us the way – as He has shown generations before us – Martin Luther once wrote “I don’t know the road I take – but I know my guide” –
Jesus set the standard by which we can win –
He showed us how to care for one another – He walked among the sinful, the sick and those excluded from society setting an example for His followers
Jesus said that His own life is essential for life itself. The Father had given Him life and He has the authority to give life to others.
Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. There is no way a branch could live or bear fruit without being connected to the main vine. The only way we as disciples can ever hope to run and complete the race is to be connected with Jesus – allow His life giving love to flow into our lives and transform and feed us as we grow and encourage others to come to the Father.
Jesus accepted social outcasts and ministered to them – he didn’t consider them unclean or untouchable – He recognised that a person’s inner concerns need to be met – before they can change their outward patterns. Like Jesus we too must be sensitive to the feelings and needs of others. If we constantly turn away from them they will have little chance of finding redemption in the life giving Christ.
Jesus said we must love our enemies as ourselves – He pioneered love as the prime way of breaking down hostilities and laying foundations of trust. We too have to follow Jesus’s lead and – patiently and carefully rebuild relationships to bring about change and healing
Jesus set us an example of servant Lordship – of encouraging and developing others within the body of the Church –
Jesus died that He might bring us to God – The main purpose of His death was not to show us something or to teach us something – it was to do something for us. To remove our sins – wipe the slate clean and remove the scares – to free us from the shame and anxieties that gnaw away inside us – and make us feel empty – by dying for us Jesus gave us a new forgiveness – a new beginning – and the opportunity to make it to the winning post
Conclusions
Last October Pauline and I visited our family in Sydney Australia – and we were given a guided tour of the stadium that will hold this years Olympic Games – The games are now only a few weeks away – many of the athletes that will take part will have spent most of their lives training for this one chance to run at the Games –
Are we prepared to do the same for Jesus’s race
At the Olympic Games there is only one winner – In the Christian race every child of God can win –
The author of Hebrews tells us to run the race set for us with perseverance and with our eyes fixed on Jesus – that we must be spiritually fit for God – – aim for a Holy life – For us there can only be one purpose in life – and that’s to go forward for Christ – and win – the greatest prize of them all
Prayer to finish
In the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit
AMEN