“Come on, you only have 3 minutes left to make it…”
“Two more minutes! Come on, you’ve got this!”
“Just 200 meters to go!!!! Come on, let’s go!!!”
Last week I shared about how one of my sons helped me to the finish line as I attempted to target a specific 5K race time. I knew I would be pushing myself harder than I had in a decade, and being 16 and speedy, I knew he’d have energy to look at his watch, talk to me, and help me hit my goal.
The believer’s confidence lies in God’s faithfulness to sustain His people and carry them to the finish line. As I’ve been pondering the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, I couldn’t help thinking about how my race experience illustrates some of the means God graciously uses to help us persevere in faith.
God preserves those who are His, enabling us to persevere, and in His grace He gives us various means to do so.
This is part two, exploring some of those means by which God helps us persevere as seen in the book of Hebrews.
As a reminder, I’m looking at a doctrine seen in each chapter(ish) of the book of Hebrews, a sermon-like letter written to encourage and exhort discouraged Christians (likely Jewish Christians) in the face of hardship and persecution. What we believe influences how we endure. These posts are a small sampling of things that could be said about each topic.
- The Spirit Who Sustains Us– (Hebrews 10:15-17) Certainly the greatest means by which God keeps us on course is His indwelling Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. The Spirit testifies to us of the new covenant, putting His laws on our hearts and writing them on our minds. When we wander, He graciously steers us back onto the track through repentance and faith, continually conforming us to Christ. He’s actively working in us to bring us to the finish line!
- The Word that Keeps us on Course– (Hebrews 4:12) I’d run this course before, so I knew where I was headed. God’s Word is like that course map, keeping us from getting lost and reminding us of the finish line. It’s living and active, teaching us about who God is while exposing the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
The early church had the Old Testament Scriptures and teaching of the apostles, both written and passed down orally. We are privileged to have God’s completed Word at our fingertips whether in print or on our phones. What a privilege! It’s a click away from Amazon same-day shipping! We know Him better by knowing His word better.
- Running Buddies– (Hebrews 3:13, 10:24-25) Just as I needed my son’s warnings and words of wisdom to reach my goal, we need the local church body to pace us to the end.
The writer of Hebrews never promotes the idea of a lone-ranger Christian seeking God in isolation. Though times of solitude are beneficial and essential (Jesus sets that example for us!), he urges believers to encourage one another daily, spur one another toward love and good works, and faithfully gather together. Notice the collective language: “Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).
God uses His people to help His people persevere!
- Remembering Those Who’ve Run Before Us– (Heb. 6:12, Heb. 11) There’s a reason I asked my son to help me in this race rather than someone who had never run it. He knew the course!
The author’s history recap in chapter 11 reminds his audience of those who came before them in faith. The patriarchs, Moses, Rahab (a Gentile!), kings and prophets…they all experienced opposition and suffering, yet they demonstrated belief in God’s promises and were commended for their faith.
Chapter 11 flows right into chapter 12 with a call to endure:
“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:1-2)
Nearly every time I run, these verses run along with me. I want to cheer every time, celebrating that Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith. It’s Him we fix our eyes on to run our Christian race with endurance. He’s not just another runner in the race. He’s the Pioneer and Perfecter.
When my legs were on fire and I wanted to give up, I didn’t finish in my own strength. I relied on that faithful one (and the Faithful One!) who had gone before me… the one whose voice paced me to the end.
In the Christian life, we follow our Forerunner (Heb. 6:20!) to the finish line with endurance because He’s finished the work of redemption and will carry us to completion. (Php. 1:6)
And next week we’ll see He’s not only our Forerunner but also our great High Priest, who always lives to intercede for us. “Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.” (Heb. 7:25) I’m so excited to explore that wonderful truth!. 7:25) I’m so excited to explore Christ as our High Priest next week!
Leave a Reply