I invite you to take your Bibles and join with me once again, please, in Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. If you're using one of the Pew Bibles, it's located around page 1,008 or so. Hebrews chapter 12. And if you've not picked up a copy of the notes, please feel free to do so. They're on the tables both up front and in the back. I think that those would be of assistance to you, I hope so. And out of reverence for God's holy, inspired, and inerrant word, I invite you please to stand and to follow along silently as I read aloud Hebrews chapter 12, verses one and two. Therefore, Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. This is the word of the Lord. You may be seated. My wife got in the car with me last week and said, I am so glad that you gave the introductory remarks that you did concerning remaining in the tone of the original author because not only was that a challenging sermon, that was a very hard sermon. And I think it was probably very likely hard for the first readers of this letter to be encountered by the words here as well, as the writer's tone, both here but actually throughout this entire letter, is very hortatory. It's almost equal parts challenge and encouragement. Cameron and I were watching the Olympics this past week, and we were watching the women's volleyball match between the US and Brazil. And at one point, the camera focused in on a Brazilian player who had pulled close into her face, the face of a teammate, and was exhorting her. If you didn't know any better, you would think that she was angry with her. She was intense. She was looking her straight in the eye. but it was for her good. She was trying to spur her on. There was much at stake. A gold medal was on the line. And so too, the author's challenging tone here was necessary for much was on the line. Indeed, much more than merely a gold medal, Now the gospel was at stake as the first readers were at risk of returning to their previous beliefs and customs. And at the passage before us, we come to the grand climax of this letter where the author pivots from his previous instruction concerning the preeminence and the sufficiency of Christ, and he takes it now and compresses it all down very tightly into this very powerful analogy, that of a race. And he does so to drive home his main point and to spur his readers on to faithfulness in Christ Jesus alone. How fitting that we would take up this passage during the Olympic Games. I didn't plan it that way. It just so happened that way. For there are some similarities between the ancient games as well as our modern games that help us better understand the nature of the challenge that is embedded in this author's analogy. But as you probably know, every analogy breaks down at some point. I wish to bring our study of this passage to a close this morning by highlighting some of the similarities and dissimilarities between a physical race on the one hand and the spiritual race that is envisioned here. And then I wanna offer some concluding remarks of encouragement that I trust will spur us on in our race of faith. But let's begin with some of the similarities. First, the race of faith is a struggle, and it requires full exertion, courage, perseverance, and patience. Last week, we looked at the Greek root word here that's translated race, agona. And we noted that strictly rendered, that word means fight. It's actually the word from which we derive our English word, agony. I confess to having felt a bit heavy after preaching last week, as I can appreciate how difficult that may have been for some to hear, and I have been concerned that I may have given the impression that the Christian life is an endless, dreary, dreadful, monotonous, painful, torturous struggle. And then you die. I want you to know that was neither my heart nor intent, and I ask you please forgive me if I did not offer enough nuance or balance to my remarks. Again, I was seeking to faithfully reflect the challenging, intense tone of the first author, and I certainly did not mean to sound discouraging. I also want to faithfully set the text within the context of the first readers. They were, you see, indeed suffering for their faith. If you read the verses immediately preceding chapter 12, verses one and two, beginning at chapter 11, verse 35 and following, you'll note here that the author recites some of what it was that they were going through. Torture. Mocking, flogging, chains, imprisonment, stoning. They were being sawn in two and they were being killed by the sword and more. And then let us consider the sufferings that the Apostle Paul endured for the faith that he lists at 2 Corinthians 11, 23 and following. Imprisonments. countless beatings, often near death, repeated floggings within a lash of his life. He was beaten with rods. He was stoned, by which it means he was actually having stones thrown at him, daggers and dangers and hardships and more. Admittedly, we in the West know very little about the intense kind of suffering that the first readers of this letter were enduring. Most of us experience little more than mild and occasional discomfort, maybe just a tinge of embarrassment for our Christian convictions, but that is not the case in many places around the world, even today. There are those who literally put their lives on the line in taking a stand for Christ. And it is against the backdrop of enduring that kind of intense suffering that the writer is here seeking to encourage his first readers, press on. Despite such intense suffering, press on. But then, again, aren't there times and circumstances under which we stand in need of taking the same encouragement ourselves to press on? Now, our struggles may not be at the same level of intense suffering as in view here, Doesn't Jesus call upon all Christians to daily deny self and pick up the cross and to follow after him? And I would have you know that if we do that faithfully, that's not easy. That is hard. Among other things, as we've seen here, it requires putting down all weights that hinder our maximum performance in running the race of faith. It requires us also putting down sin, that sin that so easily entangles us. and it calls upon us to run with patient endurance the race that is divinely set out for us collectively as well as individually as we look away from literally everything and everyone unto Jesus Christ and him alone. and constantly, particularly in our culture here, we're being bombarded and tempted to take our eyes off of Christ and put it on the things of this world. You see, a mere spectator need not be concerned about such things. A mere spectator may sit comfortably in the stands and enjoy watching the contest. It is interesting to me in watching the Olympics the number of times they pan out into the crowd and they show the celebrities that are seated up there in the stands cheering on the athletes who are down competing on the field. They look very comfortable occasionally enjoying a nice cool beverage and cheering them on with gusto. But then again, they make no pretensions to the prize. No, the prize goes only to the one who is engaged in the race, and under the very best of circumstances, that's going to involve at least struggle. Perhaps, as was the case for many of our spiritual ancestors and for many of our brothers and sisters around the globe this very day, it may call upon us too to suffer. Thus the Apostle Paul employing a similar racing analogy writes at First Corinthians 9.24 that the Christian runs as if there is only one prize to win. He puts it this way, so run that you may obtain it. And then he too points to the fact that such will require tremendous discipline, tremendous self-control. Second, the runner is always pressing forward toward the prize that awaits at the end and does not rest in anything already received. At Philippians chapter three, verses 13 and 14, the apostle Paul alludes once again to a race analogy. He writes, quote, but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. You're reading this in the Greek, the expression there is absolutely beautiful as it captures the scene. In essence, one could translate it as follows. Having aimed at the mark, I eagerly, earnestly, and with all determination forge ahead to come in first and win the prize. Every previous stride lies behind, and the runner takes no account of the ground already covered, but with eyes fixed on the goal, the runner seeks to exert every ounce of focus and strength to gain greater speed, greater power, greater efficiency with each step as though the whole race depended on every step that the race brought to that runner in the moment. Third, runners may be disqualified for not carefully following the prescribed regulations. It is the duty of ministers of the gospel to not only run the race themselves, but to serve as the heralds in the Christian race. Indeed, the very name minister is taken from the Latin to designate those who faithfully serve as agents underneath a superior. And our charge is to invite all to run and also to declare the prescribed rules for the contest. and that the rules for the race must be carefully attended to is underscored again by what the Apostle Paul wrote at 2 Timothy 2.5. Quote, an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules, end quote. That's a sobering thought, isn't it? One could conceivably strive and fight and run and come out ahead of everyone, and yet lose the prize unless that one competes according to the prescribed regulations. And what is the first rule that must be observed in order to be in the running for the prize? Well, it's the same rule that the first readers of this letter were struggling to observe. It is to run girded up by a righteousness not established on the basis of our own works. For the Hebrew Christians, their temptation was to return back to the ceremonial observances that they had once practiced as the grounding for their salvation. And in our own day, it is the temptation to believe that our relative moral goodness is sufficient to merit God's favor and to be awarded the eternal prize. Listen, as a minister of the gospel, please hear me. Here is the first rule. Nothing other than trusting faith in the person and the work of Jesus Christ saves. Period, paragraph. I'm gonna say more about that in a bit, but there's a second rule that attends for those who would run the race of faith, and it is this. We must actually run. As in the day when this letter was written, so and sadly it remains the case in our own day that there are large numbers who profess belief in Christ Jesus, who refer to themselves by the name Christian, who nod in assent to the gospel, but then effectively deny him by living in a manner that is virtually indistinguishable from those who belong to the world. But the scriptures make clear that those who belong to Christ, we have undergone a wondrous, miraculous transformation. The Christian has been brought from death to life, from darkness into light, from the pursuit of self and selfish desires to the pursuit of Christ and his kingdom purposes and righteousness. How in the world could one so thoroughly redeemed and transformed by the gospel persist to live undifferentiated from the world where that one does not stand out? Believer, let us run. And quite practically, the disciplines that will keep us safe on the course Our time in God's Word, time in personal prayer, startled by the number of professing believers who do not have a personal prayer life. We need to spend time profiting from those who have gone before us and finished well the race of faith. I have yet to meet a growing, thriving, joyous believer who is not engaged in reading good Christian material. One of the things that I have done over the years when somebody has passed away at home, I've asked if it would be okay if I entered their bedroom and looked on the nightstand. You can tell a lot about a person by looking at what it is that they're reading. And further, we need to spend time with those who have been given the permission to look us directly in the eye and to ask us exceedingly hard questions, holding us accountable for what we believe and how we live. Fourth. Runners compete before an assembled crowd of witnesses. We've seen it, Hebrews chapter 12 verses one and two, that the race is set before a great cloud of witnesses, those who are enshrined in the hall of faith, if you will, at Hebrews chapter 11, and whose faithful lives bear witness to the greatness and the goodness of God. But then let us realize that though not directly cited here by this writer, elsewhere we do read that Christians run before a wider audience than those faithful believers who have gone on before us. We are a spectacle before a watching world, indeed, before the whole universe, to both angels and men, Paul wrote at 1 Corinthians 4, verse 9. Each of us who claims to know Christ, regardless of how humble or obscure a station to which God may have posted us, yet we run our race of faith before family, friends, coworkers, fellow students, and or neighbors who are in the position to weigh our profession against our practice and to see if they agree. The angels, scripture says, they watch in astonishment and rejoice over the salvation of a single soul, Luke 15.10. And of course, the enemy of our souls seeks to divert our steps and discourage our hearts and distort our minds. Indeed, if given permission, would destroy our very lives. But fellow believer, despite that, let us not be dismayed. For while our enemy is fierce, he is nevertheless a thoroughly defeated enemy. And the power that is within us is far greater still. And if we could gain the vantage point of heaven, we would see that we run not alone, but that the whole host of heaven is on our side and that the examples of just men and women who have finished their race encircle the throne of God day without night rejoicing and joined in our great cause to run with patient endurance the race that is set before us. Fifth. There is a judge who evaluates the runners and their race. Beloved, at the end of the race stands Jesus, the judge of all. He holds the prize out for all with eyes of faith to see, and he will crown the victor of the race with his own hand. Listen to how the Apostle Paul captures the scene at 2 Timothy 4, 7, and 8. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness with the Lord, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day. Now those of you who are familiar with that passage will immediately recognize that I have not finished Paul's quote there, right? I will in a moment, but I want to put that off for just a second because it leads me to now take up some points at which this analogy here fails. These are some of the dissimilarities between a physical race and the spiritual race that we've been called to run. First, Physical exercise offers small and temporal benefits, but the race of faith produces godliness, which offers everything and results in everlasting benefits. Train yourself for godliness, Paul writes at 1 Timothy 4, 7, and 8. For while bodily training is of some value, Godliness is of value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Listen, there are only two things that are going to pass from this life into the life to come. God's word and the human soul. Nothing else will cross over and continue on from this world into eternity. not the laurel wreaths, oak crowns, and jeweled baubles of the ancient games, nor the precious medals awarded in the modern games. I have both attended and officiated numerous memorial and burial services, and one thing I have yet to see is a hearse pulling a U-Haul. Beloved, let us concern ourselves with the one thing necessary, and it is this, to pursue hard after Christ that he might be exalted in our lives and thereby bring glory to God. Second, in physical races, only one receives the prize, but in the spiritual race, all who run as the Lord has appointed are sure to win. Allow me to complete Paul's statement at 2 Timothy 4, 7, and 8. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. In dramatic fashion, American Noah Lyles claimed the title of the world's fastest man last week by beating Jamaica's Keshane Thompson by a mere 5,000ths of a second. In fact, when they crossed the line, their time came up on the board exactly the same, and they had to pause at the end to have the computer calculate the difference between the two runners. five thousandths of a second. When asked whether such a close finish warranted the awarding of two gold medals, Thompson said, no, there's just far too much pride in our event to share that award, so I don't blame Lyles at all for declining the suggestion. But not so for those who run in the spiritual race. All who finish will win. And because pride has been completely set aside, indeed listen, setting aside pride is actually a prerequisite for acknowledging one's desperate need as a sinner before God and receiving pardon on the basis of mercy and grace alone. The number of recipients will not diminish the joy of each individual. Indeed, just the opposite. It is every Christian's earnest desire that as many as possible enjoy the victory that is secured for each participant who runs the race of faith. Gold medals for all. Third. It follows from what I have said that the prize in a physical race is earthly and will tarnish and fade away. The prize in a spiritual race is heavenly. It will never tarnish. It will never fade away. The glories of eternity and the presence of God the Father and the Holy Spirit and of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ awaits those who finish the prescribed race and there is no pleasure, no thing, no achievement on earth that can compare to the reward, unending joy. praise, marvel, and delight as we gather as one people and with one voice sing one song to one God seated on one throne. What could possibly compare to that? Fourth, No one is compelled to run in a physical race, and non-participants face no consequences. But those who fail to respond to the gospel and run the race of faith, I'm sorry to say, face dire consequences. The call to prepare and enter the kind of race that is depicted here before us at Hebrews 12, one and two, was general in nature, and each could choose to participate or not, and those who refused suffered no disadvantage. But it is not so in the spiritual race by which we are called in the gospel. Though the call is also general in nature and we are free to choose whether to participate or not, the Lord God, I would have us know, is greatly offended by those who refuse the free offer of his grace made available in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Mark it well, my friend. You have heard the gospel this day. and be very sure that a future day is coming when we will each stand before the Supreme Judge to give account for how we responded to the call to enter the race of faith. Fifth, those who lose in a physical race lose only their efforts and suffer perhaps temporary embarrassment or shame But those who lose in the spiritual race forever lose everything and experience punishment. Let us remember that the first readers of this letter, they had started out well. but the writer to the Hebrews is writing because that's not sufficient. The call is to run with patient endurance the entirety of the marathon of the race of faith, to persevere to the end, to finish well. So run that you may obtain, Paul exhorts, to which the writer would here add, while continually and actively looking away from everything and everyone unto Jesus. Actually, the line here at Hebrews 12.2 is even stronger in the Greek than how it reads in the English, and I want to say a few words about that line for the purpose of our encouragement this morning. In Greek, Writers would often emphasize their words by placing them either at the very beginning or the very end of a phrase. We tend to place it in bold, sometimes underline it, sometimes place it in italics. The way you do that in Greek is you take the word and you put it either at the beginning of the phrase or you put it toward the end of the phrase. And if you were reading this in the Greek, it goes as follows. Looking away from, to the founder and the perfecter of our faith, Jesus. In other words, Jesus is placed in the emphatic position here. Jesus is the emphasis. Jesus is the focus. Jesus is the one thing that every runner engaged in the race of faith is continuously and actively looking at because Jesus is the perfect example of how to run the race of faith. but there's more than that to this. The line here in the Greek is incredibly difficult to translate into the English. I wrestled with the Greek for some time, and I've given you my own translation in your notes this morning, but on any view, it's gonna require a little bit of explanation. Now I'm going to give you two levels of explanation, okay? The first one's going to be rather dense because this is a very difficult phrase and it's densely packed. And so follow me with your mental machetes. I'm going to take you through some very dense weeds. And then at the end, I'm going to give you a very simple way of understanding this, okay? The writer says that Jesus is faith's author, or faith's forerunner. We're helped in understanding what he means here by considering his use of that same word at Hebrews 2, verse 10, where he presents Jesus in his saving role. Jesus is depicted as the leader or the forerunner of those who are being saved, and the word carries the same sense here at Hebrews 12 verse two. Jesus is the leader, he's out in front. We follow him in our race of faith. A number of years ago I was asked to speak at a college reunion, a Bible college reunion out on the Oregon coast. And I finished speaking on a Saturday night. I was supposed to be speaking elsewhere Sunday morning. So I had to make my way back from the Oregon coast to Portland to catch a 7 a.m. flight to go back to the Bay Area. And as I was driving late at night that Saturday night, the steady rain all of a sudden started turning to snow. And then it started really snowing. And then it started really, really, really snowing. And because I'm in a rental car, I have no chains. There's no one out there. They're all smarter than me than to go out on the coastal route at night when it's snowing. And all of a sudden I feel the tires of my car begin to break traction and the snow is getting higher and higher and I'm thinking, I'm not gonna make this. And I'm starting to go through in my mind, what are my options? Let's see, I could turn around. No, I really can't do that, because it's no better behind me than in front of me. I've got friends in Portland. I know they'd be delighted at 1 a.m. to be awakened and come up and get me. Maybe I could leave the car here and get a ride with someone else. Then again, rental car agency probably wants their car back. There is a turnout, I knew, a rest station about midway between the Oregon coast and Portland, and I thought, well, worst case scenarios, I'll pull out there. And if need be, I'll spend the night in the car. I can turn on the engine every once in a while. I was looking at the cigarette lighter in the console, trying to figure out, I wonder how many times I'd have to do that to warm it up in here. As I came up over the ridge, and it's really snowing now, and I can barely make any progress, I see headlights of a couple of cars that are also parked in this turnout. And as I get closer, two or three cars pull out onto the highway in front of me, and as I look ahead, come to find out there was a tow truck and the tow truck had picked up a car that was stranded, and it was now going down the hill toward Portland, and as that heavy truck with chains made its way through the snow, it laid down perfect tracks in front of us. And the cars were coming out and I fell right in line with them and I put my tires in those tire tracks in front of me and I was able to safely make my way down the hill. Jesus is our forerunner. He's out ahead of us. and we put the wheels of our vehicle, or here, we put our feet into his footmarks and we follow after him. And we are safe. but then the writer, he adds a second term, and it's very, very technical, but in short, the interplay between these two words here in the Greek suggests the idea that Jesus is not only our leader, but he's also the founder, or he's the initiator, if you will, of Christian faith, and what does that mean? Well, two things. First, salvation has always been offered on exactly the same principle. Whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, under the conditions of the Old Covenant or the New Covenant, salvation's always the same. We are saved on the principle of righteousness by grace, through faith, based on blood. In the old covenant, that blood had to be repeatedly offered up in sacrifice. Under the new covenant, God has provided his own lamb, and we claim his blood. But it's still the same principle. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. We understand grace. We understand faith. But then how did those Old Testament saints before Christ, how were they saved if Christ was not there yet? How did they exercise faith when Christ had not yet come? Well, the Old Testament, their saints, they exercised faith in the promise of Christ Jesus, the saving Messiah, in the promise that a Savior would be given, and their faith was expressed through hope and endurance as they looked forward to that day and had faith that the Savior would come. Do you wanna see it here? Hebrews chapter 11. Look at verses 39 and 40. And all these, though commended through their faith, they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. I'm gonna put the last line, because that's pretty dense to the side, but you see the point. the Old Testament saints had faith in the promise of Jesus yet to come. But at the time that this letter was written, Jesus now has come. and everything to which the old covenant pointed in promise is now fulfilled in the person of Christ Jesus. Thus, faith is placed now not in the promise of Jesus, but it's placed in the person of Jesus. As such, the writer to the Hebrews is saying that Jesus is the initiator of the faith to which the promise is pointed and in whom the present readers are to place their full trust and confidence because Jesus is the very source of the Christian faith. You're saved by faith. Back then it was promise, now it's the person. Second, the writer is also saying that Jesus is the first person to have obtained faith's ultimate goal, namely the inheritance of the divine promise which those in times previous to Jesus' arrival, they had only seen from afar. They're looking down the corridors of time, looking with anticipation to the arrival of the Messiah. Look with me again at chapter 11, the beginning of verse 13. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar. And so follow me here, and then I'm gonna give you a more simple way. The writer is saying that the ultimate salvation of God's people prior to Christ was possible because of their faith in what was for them Jesus' future attainment of the divine promises that he would receive through his perfect obedience. Thus, what the writer is saying here in this phrase is that Jesus is both faith's initiator and he is faith's perfecter. Well, in what way did Jesus perfect faith? The word here is very unusual and it is highly complex, but to put it simply, the writer is saying that Jesus perfected faith in two ways. One, through suffering death and being raised again, Jesus created a new way. He created the perfect way for sinful people to be reconciled to him. Hebrews 10, look at verses 19 and 20. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places, how? How do we gain access to God? By the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he has opened for us through the curtain, that is through his flesh. Jesus did that for us by going to the cross. And secondly, Jesus perfectly models for us what life under the new covenant involves and it looks like. Now that's about as simple as I can break down the theology of that, but I want to put it very, very simply, because that was pretty densely packed, right? This is as simple as I know to put it. Trust in Jesus is the perfect content of the faith that saves, and following after Jesus is the perfect response of the faith that saves. Trust him, follow him. Thus the writer is exhorting his first readers in the strongest way possible, don't turn back. Don't go back to the ceremonial practices and beliefs that you once held onto for everything, everything necessary for salvation is found perfectly, completely through faith in Jesus alone. And so don't go back to living in legalism. For Jesus perfectly and completely models what faith looks like when lived out. In short, being a Christian, being saved is all about Jesus Christ. Faith in him alone is what saves and faithfully following after his example alone is what gives evidence and strength and assurance of the reality of our salvation. Everything in scripture is either pointing forward to Jesus in promise, it is revealing Jesus in his person, or it's reflecting back on Jesus in his preeminence. But it's all about Jesus Christ. The gospel stands behind every word. in every passage. And so the writer takes his first readers by the ear and he draws them in close and exhorts them even as he exhorts us today. Look away from everything and everyone unto the one who made the only way for you to be saved by faith possible and provided you the only model of what it looks like to be saved by faith, Jesus. Jesus, the one who was given by God the Father, prompted by nothing other than his unfathomable love and rich mercy. Jesus, the one who perfectly pleased God the Father as only he could. Jesus, the one who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is even now seated at the place of the victor. the right hand of God. Yes, but he did all of that. How in the world do I get that reward? How is it that I benefit from what it was that he achieved, what he attained? Well, I can give you a lot of very deep philosophical and theological answers to that. If you want them sometime, let me know. We can have that discussion, or maybe there's some sleepless night you find yourself tossing and turning. You just give me a call and say, hey, Bob, could you explain to me the doctrine of mutual indwelling and its implications for vicarious participation in the atonement? I would love to do that. Just the mere thought gives me goosebumps. But while the theology of the gospel is so profoundly deep, And I have spent the last 40 years studying this about as deeply as I possibly can. There's something that I first learned theologically that is the most significant truth I've ever heard, even though I still can't get my mind wrapped around it. You wanna know what it is? Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so. I can read Greek, I can read Hebrew, I can read German, I can read French. I can explain theology and philosophy. I can debate and discuss with anyone who wants the philosophical and the theological and the intellectual necessity for the existence of God. I do not understand that. Quite simply because of God's grace alone, Owing to nothing that I have earned, and believe me if it was on my merit, I would have been vanquished long ago. He is pleased for whatever reason. to credit Christ's perfect righteousness to any and all who acknowledge their need for forgiveness from sin and place their trust through faith in who Jesus is, the very Son of God, and in what he did, dying the death that each of us deserves to die for our own sin. I still marvel. I still marvel. In closing this morning and in closing this series, I realize that in most any setting in which I find myself that there are those who are weary, discouraged, defeated, perhaps doubting whether or not they can finish the race. Preacher, what if I don't have the energy? What if I don't have the stamina? What if I don't have the faith? What if I don't have the courage? What if I can't keep pressing on? Derek Redman was a British sprinter and member of their four by four meter relay team that shocked the athletic world when at the 1991 World Championships, the British team beat the heavily favored American team to claim the gold. And so all eyes were on Redman when he headed to Barcelona the following year to compete in the 1992 Olympic Games. Redmond lined up in the blocks to start his 400 meter race. And the gun went off and Redmond came out of the blocks and he was running incredibly strong. He looked like indeed he was gonna win his heat. when all of a sudden, about 250 meters from the finish line, in what Redman would later describe as feeling and sounding like gunshot going off in his leg, his hamstring snapped, and Redman pulled up immediately as all of the other sprinters rushed by him to the finish line, and Redman crumbled down onto the tarmac, writhing in pain. repeatedly. Redmond tried to get up and on one leg tried to hobble and the pain was just too much and so he began to hop toward the finish line on just his one good leg and when the camera began to pan back, there was a lone figure up in the stands who one could see making his way down through the crowd as the crowd stood in astonishment watching the scene unfurl before them. and this person jumped over the railing and began to run out on the track and security ran after him. And this person came over to Derek Redman and got down on his knee next to him and put his arm around him and began to lift Redman to his feet and security all the time were yelling at him, you can't be out here. You can't interfere with the runner. And the gentleman holding up Derek Redman, his arm around his neck, looked back at the security and he said, yes, I can. You see, I'm his father. And with that, Derek Redman and his father together hobbled the remaining distance. and Derek Redman finished the race. Derek Redman was disqualified because he received assistance. You and I cannot possibly finish the race without assistance, and if necessary, Our Heavenly Father will carry us. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, Let us also lay aside every weight in the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder, the perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. fellow Christian, let's run. Pray with me. Our Father and our God, it is right and good that the first thing on our lips in prayer should be praise to you for who you are and for what it is that you have done for us in the providing of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died in our place that we might be set free from the bondage to sin and thereby be reconciled to you. Father, thank you. We thank you further for the powerful words written to the first readers of this letter to the Hebrews, for the strong challenge that this letter continues to issue to us today. No less than the first readers, we also need this reminder and this urging to persevere in the faith with Christ alone. As Luther noted, we need to hear the gospel every day because we forget it every day. So Father, thank you. Thank you for so vividly moving the human author to capture this incredibly powerful and densely theological scene that so powerfully helps us. Father, further we would pray that you would help us to look away from everything and everyone that so easily diverts our gaze and help us to steadfastly and enduringly fix our eyes on the author and the perfecter, the initiator, the completer of our faith, Jesus. And in so doing, and as in everything, may you receive the greater glory. May Christ be exalted and praised, and may you work it for our good. We pray in his precious and strong name.