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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. On Wednesday 
evening, we considered a portion of Hebrews 12, specifically where 
the apostle tells us to let us run with endurance the race that 
is set before us. That's the overarching encouragement 
or exhortation in this particular section. And to the end of compliance, 
the apostle gives us three incentives. Let us run with endurance the 
race that is set before us. First of all, because we are 
surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Secondly, we have 
the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then thirdly, we 
have the purpose of the Father in our lives. So this morning 
we're going to take up the example of Christ specifically in verses 
2 to 4 in Hebrews chapter 12. But I do want to begin by reading 
in chapter 11 at verse 30. We'll read chapter 11, 30 to 
12, 11. By faith, the walls of Jericho 
fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith, the 
harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe when 
she had received the spies with peace. And what more shall I 
say? For the time would fail me to 
tell of Gideon and Beric and Samson and Jephthah, also of 
David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, 
worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths 
of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of 
the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in 
battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received 
their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting 
deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 
Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains 
and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn 
in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered 
about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, 
of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and 
mountains and dens and caves of the earth. And all these, 
having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive 
the promise, God having provided something better for us, that 
they should not be made perfect apart from us. Therefore, we 
also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, 
let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares 
us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who for 
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising 
the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne 
of God. For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners 
against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your 
souls. You have not yet resisted the bloodshed, striving against 
sin, and you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you 
as to sons. My son, do not despise the chastening 
of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him. 
For whom the Lord loves, he chastens and scourges every son whom he 
receives. If you endure chastening, God 
deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom a 
father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, 
of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and 
not sons. Furthermore, we have had human 
fathers who corrected us and we paid them respect. Shall we 
not much more readily be in subjection to the father of spirits and 
live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best 
to them, but he for our profit that we may be partakers of his 
holiness. Now, no chastening seems to be 
joyful for the present, but painful. Nevertheless, afterward, it yields 
the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained 
by it. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father in 
heaven, we thank you for the holy scripture. We pray now for 
the ministry of your spirit. We pray that he would guide and 
lead us and instruct us in this passage, that you would encourage 
our hearts and that you would spur us on to run with endurance 
the race that is set before us. And may we always look unto Jesus, 
our great savior. We pray now that you would forgive 
us for all of our sins and all of its darkening influence in 
our minds. We pray that you would grant us the grace to take every 
thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. And may your 
word truly function as the balm of Gilead this morning. May you 
find each and every one of us out. May you give us that which 
we stand in need of. And may you strengthen us with 
might in the inner man so that Christ may dwell in our hearts 
through faith. And we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Well, in the particular context, 
the Apostle has introduced what we call the Great Hall of Faith 
in Hebrews chapter 11. He gives us all of these particular 
men and women in the Old Testament who by God's grace, by faith 
in Him, did these amazing and glorious things. Now he comes 
to get real practical for the saints of Christ in Hebrews chapter 
12. As I said, the exhortation is 
found in verse 1. Let us run with endurance the 
race that is set before us. This is a recurring theme in 
the book of Hebrews. The issue was the people of God 
are being tempted, they are being tested, they are being stressed, 
and they are being pressed, and the idea is that the author does 
not want them to turn from Christ and go back to the old covenant 
system. Predominantly, that is the context 
in the book of Hebrews. It was written prior to the destruction 
of Jerusalem in AD 70. There was still a temple, there 
was still a high priest in terms of the religious system of Israel, 
there was still sacrifice and all those things. So the Apostle 
Paul, in my estimation, writes to these Hebrew Christians telling 
them not to succumb to the pressure, not to go back to the old covenant 
types and shadows. He says, rather, that Christ 
is superior. Christ is supreme over prophets 
and over angels and over the Levitical priesthood. Christ 
is supreme over Moses himself. In fact, it is Christ who is 
the surety of a better covenant. Do not turn back. Do not relinquish, 
do not recant, but rather, press on. In other words, in the language 
of verse 1, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. As I've mentioned, this is a 
recurring theme in the book of Hebrews, just to get us in that 
mind frame. Turn to chapter 2 for just a 
moment, and verse 1. I want you to see this emphasis 
in the book of Hebrews. I hope it will help you appreciate 
the exhortation there in chapter 12. Notice in 2.1, therefore 
we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard 
less. Here it is, we drift away. He doesn't want them to drift 
away. It's the worst thing that can 
happen. We make a profession of faith and then we drift away. 
We make a profession of faith and then we turn away. In chapter 
3, verse 14, he says, for we have become partakers of Christ. 
Notice, if we hold the beginning of our confidence, Steadfast 
to the end. And then again in chapter 4 verse 
1, therefore, since a promise remains of entering his rest, 
let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. And 
then in chapter 4 verse 14, let us hold fast our confession. You see, the recurring emphasis, 
the recurring theme is that you press on, you persevere, you 
don't stop. In other words, you go forward 
in the fear of God, seeking to grab, seeking to receive that 
prize that the Lord holds out at the very end. In other words, 
there's no place in the Christian life for stagnation. There's 
no place in the Christian life for this sort of approach where 
it's just ho-hum. Rather, we need to actively pursue 
those things that God has called us on to. And in chapter 12, 
verse 1, He states the specific duty. He tells us we are to run 
with endurance the race that is set before us. The obstacles. We are to lay aside every weight. 
Anything that would be unnecessary or would be a hindrance on this 
particular running race. Things that in themselves aren't 
necessarily a sin, but may keep you from running effectively 
the race that is set before you. Of course we are to lay aside 
sin. That will certainly hinder any 
approach to this running race. Philip Hughes says, one of the 
chief problems with the Hebrew Christians, to who this letter 
is addressed, is that they have set out on the race, but after 
a good start, are now slackening in the will to persevere. This 
is the stepping stone to apostasy. Usually people don't wake up 
on a given morning and say, you know, I'm done being a Christian, 
I'm done professing faith in Jesus, I'm gonna go smoke crack, 
I'm gonna go purchase prostitutes, I'm gonna abandon everything. 
Full-blown apostasy usually is the result of several previous 
steps. I'm not going to read my Bible, 
not going to pray, not going to go to church, I'm not going 
to do the things that God calls me to do in terms of running 
with endurance this race that is set before us. All of those 
steps precede that one morning when the person says, forget 
it, I want nothing to do with this system. So Hughes says, 
they are now slackening in the will to persevere. Their effort 
is decreasing. Sin is holding them back. They 
need to recover their intensity of purpose to shake off the sluggish 
mood into which they have fallen, to regain their confidence and 
their competitive spirit. We are to run with endurance 
the race that is set before us. And we need to understand this 
reality. Christian life for most of us. 
Now, I realize you're unsaved. Right now, God could save you. 
You could go out on Wellington and get hit by a truck. But generally 
speaking, that's not the experience of most of God's people. We get 
saved and then we have some time. Wouldn't it be nice if we got 
saved and were ushered into the presence of the Lord Jesus immediately? 
Some of us are nodding. Yeah, that'd be great. That's 
not God's way. You see, those whom he foreknew, 
he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. And 
if his son learns obedience through suffering, his adopted sons learn 
obedience through suffering, through trial, through tribulation, 
through difficulty. For the most of us, brethren, 
the race that is set before us is not the hundred-yard dash 
or the hundred-meter dash. It is a marathon. It is a long 
haul. It is year in and year out. It is a whole life experience. And this is the emphasis of the 
passage. O'Brien says the race is not 
a sprint, but a long distance race requiring resolute determination. See, you train differently, and 
you function differently, and you live differently if your 
particular task are hundred meter dashes. If you're a marathon 
runner, your life looks different. You have to prepare differently, 
you have to eat differently, you have to deny yourself in 
a different manner. And for the Christian, we must 
run the race in the manner that God has specified. And not only 
has God told us But he's given us, as I said, these incentives. 
The first, we looked at this on Wednesday night, therefore, 
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. All 
these people in Hebrews 11. All these men and women of faith 
that he's already discussed in chapter 11. With Abel, and Enoch, 
and Noah, and Abraham, and Sarah, and the judges, and the kings, 
and the godly men and women of Israel. The prophets, all of 
them, are this cloud of witnesses that surround us. And the idea, 
or the picture, is one of an amphitheater. When we look up, 
we see Abraham over there, and we see Enoch over there, and 
we see David over there, and we see Barak over there, and 
we see Jephthah over there. The idea is not simply that they're 
rooting us on. They're not just saying, go Jimmy, 
or go Billy, or go Johnny, or go whoever. That's not their 
function. They are witnesses. Witnesses 
don't get called into the courtroom simply to watch the proceedings. The witnesses come into the courtroom 
to testify. So when you see Father Abraham 
up there, you see Brother Enoch, or you see Brother Jephthah, 
what are they testifying? Yes, in a certain sense they 
are testifying that by God's grace, through faith in the living 
Christ, they managed to persevere. But I think the underlying testimony, 
the underlying statement that each of these men and women highlight, 
is that God is faithful. God is faithful. If you ever 
doubt that, or you ever grow discouraged, look at Brother 
Abel. You think you got a tough family life? You think you have 
challenges on the horizontal level? You have a brother who 
despises you and one day takes you out and bashes your head 
with a stone and kills you? You think that your life is long 
and arduous and trying? How long did Enoch live? 365 years and he bore sons and 
daughters. You know what we're to find in 
an Enoch? the ordinary humdrum, long-haul approach to the Christian 
life. For 365 years, he had children 
breaking his heart. He had the discouragements and 
the trials of life. But by faith, he persevered. If you think it's hard to be 
godly in a society like ours that promotes homosexuality, 
that promotes the murder of the unborn, think about Noah's day. God says the earth is corrupt. It is filled with violence such 
that the Lord sends this rain upon earth to destroy every living 
creature save Noah and his family and the animals in the ark. So 
you see, we have this cloud of witnesses that are testifying 
as we run this race with endurance that God is indeed faithful. But when we run with endurance 
this race that is set before us, it's not Father Abraham that 
we're to look to. It's not Brother Enoch that we're 
to look to. It's not Barak or Jephthah or 
Rahab the harlot. We are to hear their testimony 
and we are to use them as examples insofar as they are helpful. 
But we are to have a single-eyed focus upon Jesus. That's the 
second incentive. Notice, verse 1, "...let us run 
with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto 
Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who for the joy that 
was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and 
has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider 
him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself..." 
Notice, just by way of foreshadowing, "...lest You become weary and 
discouraged in your souls. May I suggest that this or these 
are the primary cripplers in our Christianity? You know, when 
I talk with people, I say, how you doing? Oh, I'm weary. I'm discouraged. That's what 
hurts us on this running race. For the most of us, and I'm supposing 
here in this room, it's not the crack dealers who are troubling 
us in our Christian lives. It isn't the abortion clinics 
that are troubling us in our Christian lives. They may trouble 
us in terms of prayer and our outpouring of our hearts to God 
when we see the sorts of things going on. But in terms of our 
running race, it's the weariness and the discouragement, isn't 
it? Is it? Do most of you wake up and say, 
I'm going to apostatize? Or do you wake up and say, I 
don't know if I can go another day. I don't know if I can press 
on. I'm discouraged. I'm weary. This 
is tough. It's hard. It's difficult. It 
is a running race. It is agony. I'm sure when you 
look at that guy on the 23rd mile of his marathon, he's not 
saying, man, I feel great. I'm happy as can be. No. This is what is going on. Lest 
you become weary and discouraged in your souls, you have not yet 
resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. As we look at verses 
two to four, I want to consider three things this morning. First, 
the specific activity. Secondly, the particular focus. 
And thirdly, the necessary consideration. Note, first, the specific activity. Looking, he says. The verb means 
not only look to someone else, but to get your eyes off of yourself. Look away from self, look away 
from circumstances, look away from challenges, look away from 
trials, look away from your difficulties, and look unto Jesus. That's the 
emphasis. John Owen reminds us that looking 
in the scripture when it respects God or Christ denotes an act 
of faith or trust with hope and expectation. Owen also reminds 
us of something very important. You see, Jesus is not one example 
among others. Oh, there's Abraham, there's 
Enoch, there's Rahab, there's Ruth, there's Sarah, there's 
Joshua, and there's Jesus. Jesus is an example and He's 
being used as such in this particular passage, but there's more to 
it. This looking unto Jesus means 
believing in Him, trusting in Him. Without looking unto Jesus, 
there's no Christian race for you to run. Owen says it this 
way, "'Wherefore, the Lord Jesus is not proposed here unto us 
as a mere example to be considered by us, but as Him also in whom 
we place our faith.'" He's not an example like Paul is an example. He's not an example like David's 
an example. He is Christ. He is the object 
of saving faith. You cannot run the believer's 
race without believing in the Christ. Owen goes on to say, 
in whom we place our faith, trust, and confidence with all our expectation 
of success in our Christian course. He says, without this faith and 
trust in Him, we shall have no benefit and no advantage by His 
example. You see, the idea isn't just 
slug it out the way Jesus did. No, it's look to Christ, trust 
in Christ, believe on Christ, and in so doing, run this particular 
race that is set before us. That's the specific focus. Isn't 
that beautiful? Looking unto Jesus. The gospel. The truth of Christ and Him crucified 
and risen. It's the primary thing you need 
in terms of your sanctification. Yes, you need the Holy Spirit. 
Yes, you need the holy law of God to set the parameters and 
define what holiness looks like. But you need gospel. You need 
to look unto Jesus. You need to be focused upon Him. 
You don't run the Christian race without the Christ. You don't 
run the believer's race without belief. You don't run this race 
without the Lord of Glory. And that is what is next highlighted 
in the particular focus, looking unto Jesus. And then the Apostle 
says at least five things here concerning Jesus that ought to 
grip our attention. The first thing we need to observe 
is the person of Christ. When he mentions Jesus, as he 
does in chapter 2, as he does in chapter 4, as he does in chapter 
9, the focus seems to be upon the humanity of Christ. One who 
is sympathetic. One who is a sufferer. One who 
has gone it before us. The idea here is the use of this 
name emphasizes Christ's humanity, particularly his endurance of 
pain, humiliation, and the disgrace of the cross. You see, when he 
says, looking unto Jesus, that word, that name is associated 
with many wonderful things. Secondly, it points out the work 
of Christ. Remember in the biblical era, 
names weren't given because they made it in the top 10 famous 
name book. I've shared before when we were 
stationed in England, we thought we were clever when we named 
Brittany, Brittany, because we lived in England, only to find 
out all of our counterparts in America named their daughters 
Brittany as well. For us, it had a bit of significance. For the most part, though, we 
pick a name because it's pleasing to us for some reason or other. 
Jesus is the name that signifies his work. When the apostle says, 
looking unto Jesus, yes, consider his humanity, but consider that 
primary function that he was given in the covenant of redemption. 
Remember, this name is stipulated in Matthew 1.21. The angel tells 
Joseph, and you shall call his name, what? Jesus. For he will save his people from 
their sins. So in other words, as you're 
running with endurance the race that is set before us, you're 
looking unto Jesus, and you're thinking in terms of His saving 
work, you're thinking in terms of His gospel, you're thinking 
in terms of His power, you're thinking in terms of His efficacy, 
you're thinking in terms of the reality that He lived, He died, 
and He rose again to save you from your sins. And particularly 
highlighted here is that he is the author and finisher of faith. Some commentators say that that 
means he's the exemplar. He's the supreme example of faithfulness. We want to know what faithfulness 
is, we look at Jesus and he serves that example. And I believe certainly 
that's part of it. But I think the referent to him 
being the author, the originator, the giver of our faith, and the 
perfecter of it, is something that will hopefully put more 
wind in our sails when we're running with endurance this race. 
Yes, we see him in his example of faithfulness, but we see him 
in his power as giving us faith. as giving us this grace, as bringing 
us into this place of salvation, of redeeming us, of calling us 
out of darkness into marvelous light. In other words, we're 
running this race, not in order that we may obtain faith, but 
we're running this race because Jesus has procured this faith. He has given it to us, and He 
has testified that He will finish it. He will complete it. So that 
when you're running that race with endurance that is set before 
us, and you're having trials, and you're having difficulties, 
and you're having struggles, and you actually fall down, by 
the grace of God you get up because this much you know, that He not 
only gave me this faith, but He's going to perfect it. He's 
going to finish it. He's going to bring me home to 
the Father. That is great impetus for the runner. When He knows 
what lays at the end, when He knows that the victory wreath 
is coming. Run with endurance because Jesus 
is not only author, but He is perfecting your faith. So that 
when you fall, when you trip, when you stumble, when you run 
and you bash into that tree, even in that instance, Christ 
has His ever good end in conforming you more unto His image. Run, 
looking at his person. Run, looking at his work. Run, 
looking thirdly at his resolve. Now, remember the emphasis of 
the passage. Let us run with endurance. Notice, Jesus endured the cross. Notice verse three, Jesus endured 
hostility from sinners against himself. Jesus was resolved. How many times do we as Christians 
not live the Christian life in a resolute manner? We're passive. We just want to 
float. Like we just sang in 481, am 
I supposed to be wafted into heaven on flowery beds of ease? While others fought? While others 
strove? While others battled? While others 
bled? While others lost everything, 
are we just supposed to sing zippity-doo-dah and be wafted 
into heaven by the blue birds of holiness? How dare us? I wonder at times if we have 
it too good. I wonder at times if we are being 
hurt by the many blessings that we have. That wartime mentality 
seems to be absent when everything goes our way. That wartime mentality 
seems to be wanting when we have plenty. But notice the resoluteness 
of our Christ. There's an interesting statement 
in Luke 9. There's a shift in the gospel narrative there. He's 
going to leave the northern regions of Galilee and He's going to 
head down to Jerusalem. And you know what it says about 
our Christ? He set His face like a flint. Or as the new King James renders 
it, he was steadfast. Jesus doesn't say, you know, 
it might be a good idea if I go down to Jerusalem. It might be 
a good idea if I'm delivered up by godless men. It might be 
a good idea if I'm tried and then I'm crucified on the third 
day. He was steadfast, He was determined, and our passage holds 
that out. When you're running with endurance 
the race that is set before us, and you're looking unto Jesus, 
look at His resoluteness in terms of His life. It says, looking 
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy 
that was set before him endured the cross. Now there's two views 
on this, who for the joy set before him. The first view says, 
instead of joy, instead of heavenly bliss, instead of earthly comfort, 
rather he endured the cross. I don't think that's the view. 
I think the view is, who for the joy set before him, namely 
the glory of God and the salvation of his people, he endured the 
cross. You see the difference? It's 
similar to what we find in chapter 11, verses 24 to 26. Why did Moses rather suffer reproach 
with the people of God than enjoy the passing pleasures of sin? 
He looked to the reward. In other words, Moses was no 
fool. Why would I enjoy all the bounty 
of Egypt and sacrifice the glory of heaven? I'd rather have the 
glory of heaven and suffer reproach with the people of Christ right 
now. The same is true with Jesus. Who for the joy set before Him. 
Again, the glory of God and the salvation of His people. He endured 
the cross. The emphasis is clear in the 
passage. If you miss this, you're going 
to miss a lot. In the Christian life, my dear 
brothers and sisters, the cross precedes the crown. Let me just 
say that again. In the Christian life, the cross 
precedes the crown. Remember those two sons of Zebedee 
who come to Jesus and they say, Lord grant that when you come 
into your kingdom, you may let me sit on the right and him sit 
on the left. Jesus says, you don't know what you're asking. 
I have a baptism to undergo that you know nothing of. You see, 
we want the crown first. I already alluded to that. I 
already affirmed that. Wouldn't it be nice if we died 
and went to heaven? Or I mean, wouldn't it be nice 
if we believed, died, and went to heaven? It'd be nice. I'm 
not going to lie to you. So this guy's got a death wish. 
No, he doesn't. He really doesn't. Do you see what we find in Jesus? 
Who for the joy set before him endured the cross? How do we 
translate that into our running race? Who for the joy of heaven 
endure the cross that we have in this earth? Who for the joy 
of eternal bliss endure these trials and challenges and difficulties? Who for this crown will certainly 
carry this cross? John Owen says, herein is the 
Lord Christ, our great example, in that He was influenced and 
acted in all that He did and suffered by a continual respect 
unto the glory of God and the salvation of the Church. who 
for the joy set before him endured the cross." Brethren, in your 
running race, look to the prize. In your running race, look to 
the crown. In your running race, let that 
move you. Let that incentivize you. Again, 
look back for just a moment at chapter 11 at verse 24. By faith 
Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son 
of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with 
the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin." 
If you had seen Moses make this decision, you would have said, 
are you nuts? Are you crazy? Moses, you could be called the 
son of Pharaoh's daughter. That means you live in Pharaoh's 
palace. That means you drink Pharaoh's 
wine. That means you eat Pharaoh's 
food. That means you get to be entertained 
by Pharaoh's entertainers. What would you rather have, Moses? 
I'd rather suffer affliction with the people of God." You'd 
say, are you nuts? Are you mad? Are you out of your 
mind? If you pressed him further, he 
would say, no, what I am looking forward to far exceeds Pharaoh's 
court. What I am looking forward to 
far exceeds Pharaoh's riches. What I am looking forward to 
far exceeds anything that this world has to offer, and that's 
the emphasis that follows in verse 26. Notice, esteeming the 
reproach of Christ, greater riches. You see, for Moses it was a simple 
transaction. Greater riches are to be had 
in identifying with Jesus. You wouldn't call him a fool 
at that point, would you? You'd say, oh, there's greater 
riches to be found in Jesus Christ. Certainly what you're doing is 
wise. The reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures 
in Egypt, for he looked to the reward. You see, with Moses and 
with Jesus, that emphasis is true. They looked to the reward. Who for the joy that was set 
before him endured the cross? Christian in your running race, 
don't obsess on the trials. Don't obsess in the difficulties. 
Don't obsess in the fact that you fell. Don't obsess in the 
fact that you ran into that tree. Obsess in the fact that Jesus 
is at the end of the line. You see, there's an emphasis 
here. You ask a Christian, how are you doing? Oh, I've had nothing 
but trials and difficulties and problems and issues. That's good. 
We want to pray for you, but you need to look unto Jesus. 
You see, the Christian life isn't just about your trials and about 
your issues and about your difficulties. You know what happens, too, when 
we obsess on those things? We become obnoxious to everyone 
around us. Somebody comes up to us and says, you know, I've 
had some bad news this week. Well, let me tell you about me. 
Let me tell you about me. Me, me, me, me, me, me. Me, me, 
me, me, me. Okay, I want to hear about you. I want to pray for 
you. That's great. But may I direct you unto Jesus? The Christian 
life isn't your trials. The Christian life isn't your 
troubles. The Christian life isn't your difficulties and your 
issues. The Christian life is Jesus. That's the emphasis of our passage. 
Run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto 
Jesus. Not looking unto your trials, 
not looking unto your difficulties, not looking unto your remaining 
corruption, but looking unto Jesus. What does weariness and 
discouragement settle in in the Christian life? I submit it settles 
in most of all when we look at ourselves. Are you happy when you look inside? 
I'm not. Looks like garbage. Need to look 
at Jesus. Are you happy when you read the 
books of well-meaning Christians who tell you how much holier 
you ought to be? There's well-meaning brethren 
out there and I bless God for them and I want them to be happy 
and holy in Jesus. But when men write books and 
they put burdens upon you that they themselves cannot bear, 
it becomes difficult. Have you ever read a book and 
said, man, I'm so far from the kingdom. I'm terrible. It's because the author has given 
you a great big dose of law and how you need to be more like 
him or whoever wrote the book or whatever coalition says that 
you need to be this way. You see, for Paul, when you run 
with endurance the race that is set before us, your focus 
is not on the latest book. It's on Jesus. It's the gospel. It's the cross. It's substitutionary 
curse bearing. It's propitiation. It's he laid 
on him the iniquity of us all. That's what motivates Christian 
runners. It's the cross of our Lord Jesus. Spurgeon speaks to this clause, 
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, 
and he explains it this way. This is why Spurgeon is Spurgeon. 
This is beautiful. This is great. Now, this is the 
joy which Christ felt. It was the joy of feeding us 
with the bread of heaven, the joy of clothing poor, naked sinners 
in his own righteousness, the joy of finding mansions in heaven 
for homeless souls, of delivering us from the prison of hell and 
giving us the eternal enjoyments of heaven. who for the joy set 
before him, first the glory of God, carrying out that covenant 
of redemption, obeying the will of the Father, doing the will 
of the Father, and then gathering unto himself all the elect the 
Father had given him, who for the joy that was set before him 
he endured the You see, runner, you've got to look to the crown. 
You've got to realize that the crown comes after the cross, 
but the crown comes most assuredly. I love that statement of Paul 
in his eleventh hour when he's about to check out, when he tells 
Timothy that he knows his time is at hand. He says, I'm already 
being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure 
is at hand. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the 
race. I have kept the faith. Then he 
makes this statement in verse 8, that we ought to focus upon 
more often. He says, finally, there is laid 
up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous 
judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but 
also to all who have loved his appearing. You see, for the apostle, 
this lower world was not the end. He knew he was going to 
pass into the presence of his Redeemer, and that Redeemer was 
going to set a crown on his head. Run that way. Run with endurance 
the race that is set before us, focusing on the person of Christ, 
on the work of Christ, on the resoluteness of Christ, and fourthly, 
on the suffering of Christ. You see, I think what he's doing 
here in verses two to four as well is showing us in a gracious 
and kind and gentle way that we really don't have a lot to 
complain about. It really isn't as bad as we 
often make it sound. See, when we talk about enduring 
a cross, we usually do not mean Roman crucifixion in the first 
century. When we talk about enduring the 
cross, we do not mean being stripped naked and hung in public and 
being mocked spit on, abused, scourged, and ultimately asphyxiated. That's generally not what we 
mean when we talk about bearing our cross. We have a difficult 
son, a difficult daughter, a difficult husband, a difficult wife. We 
have difficult circumstances. We have difficult trials at work. 
We have people who make fun of us. We have a culture that is 
increasingly hostile to Christianity, and we see that as bearing our 
cross. You know, when Paul tells us 
that he, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, 
you need to remember in the first century, the cross didn't decorate 
churches. People didn't wear crosses around 
their necks. People didn't have beautifully 
bound Bibles from Thomas Nelson Incorporated with a cross emblazoned 
on it. There's a romantic appeal to 
the cross in the 21st century. There's a romantic appeal about 
the cross throughout the history of the church. You've heard of 
Constantine, his conversion and battling, looked up into the 
sky and there he saw a cross. You hear about the armies and 
the soldiers who were Christians going out to battle, waving the 
cross as their banner. You see, we've come to associate 
the cross with finery. We've come to associate the cross 
with simply a symbol. We've come to associate the cross 
with jewelry. It's a charm. If you're wearing 
one, I'm not suggesting you take it off and throw it away. But 
I am suggesting that you consider what cross meant in the first 
century. It meant specifically what we find in Matthew, Mark, 
Luke, and John. It meant brutality. What's the emphasis here? When 
you run with endurance, the race that is set before us, most of 
the time, most of the time, crucifixion is not going to be your lot. 
Most of the time, you're not going to be stripped, you're 
not going to be beaten by Roman soldiers, you're not going to 
be spat upon, you're not going to be mocked and abused and had 
insults hurled at you, and you're not ultimately going to be enthroned. 
Not upon a throne, but upon a cross. More than likely, that's not 
going to happen to you. You see, for the Lord Jesus, 
He endured the cross, despising the shame. You see, here the 
Apostle illustrates the shame associated with the cross. This is why in 1 Corinthians 
1, he says to the Jews, a stumbling block, and to the Greeks, foolishness. But we preach Christ and Him 
crucified. Why was it a stumbling block? 
The Greek word is scandal. Why was it a scandal to the Jewish 
mind? You think about a scandal today. 
You think about the White House. You think about Ottawa. You think 
about something happening that's scandalous. You hear stories 
and you say, wow, that's just terrible. You hear stories and 
you say, wow, that's just offensive. You hear stories and you say, 
man, that just is too much to handle. That's what it was in 
the first century. To the Jews, a stumbling block, 
a scandal. Why? Because the idea of a crucified 
messiah? The idea of a crucified victor, 
the idea of a beaten, bloodied, brutalized savior was just not 
something they thought in those categories. You see, for Christ, 
he endured the cross, he despised the shame. The Lord Jesus endured 
these things for the glory of his father and the salvation 
of his people, but the apostle doesn't want us to stop there. 
He doesn't want us to be Roman Catholic and leave Jesus on the 
cross in the crucifixion, but he directs our attention to the 
exaltation of Christ. And again, consider the context. You're going to suffer crosses. You're going to have hardship. 
You don't run with endurance the race that is set before you 
in this life in relative ease. But you need to focus. You need to consider. You need 
to look. Yes, Jesus endured the cross. 
Yes, Jesus despised the shame. But notice, He has sat down at 
the right hand of the throne of God. You see, there is an 
end in these things. There is victory. There is triumph. There is heaven. There is glory. There is reward, there is blessing 
from God Most High, and we see it here in the person and the 
work of the Lord Jesus. He endures the cross, He despises 
the shame, and now He is sat down at the right hand of the 
throne of God Almighty. Run with endurance the race that 
is set before us. Notice, thirdly and finally, 
the necessary consideration. He doesn't stop there. Verses 
3 and 4, he says, for consider him who endured such hostility 
from sinners against himself." The believers are being exhorted 
to consider Jesus. That's what we've been talking 
about, if you're just following, just waking up. That's what they're 
being told. Consider Jesus who endured, same 
word we are to use, we're to run with endurance, the race 
that is set before us. Well, Jesus endured such hostility 
against himself. What's the point? If you live 
godly in Christ Jesus in this world, you're going to suffer. 
There will be hostility targeted towards you. There will be difficulty. There will be trial. You need 
to consider Jesus. He managed. He cast himself fully 
and wholly upon God the Father. He found his blessing in the 
Spirit of God. He found all of the resources 
necessary for his life of humiliation in God Most High. He endured 
this hostility from sinners against himself. Now when we consider 
the analogy, we most of the time deserve it. He never deserved 
it. And then notice the reasons given. 
To promote spiritual stamina. Lest you become weary and discouraged 
in your souls. Everybody with me now? You see 
what he's saying? You're gonna run with endurance 
this race. You're gonna get tired. You're gonna get weary. There's 
going to be a discouragement. What do you need to do? Buy the 
new book on how to run the Christian race. That might help. Talk to 
your pastor and say, I'm becoming weary and discouraged. That might 
help. Listen to 15 sermons on sermonaudio.com 
on Hebrews 12, 1-4. That might help. Look to Jesus. It's so simple, isn't it? This 
is one of the discouraging things about being a pastor. I suppose 
if I was a lifeguard, I would like the fact that if somebody 
was drowning, I get to punch them in the head, so that I can 
bring them in. I don't know if they actually 
do that, but I grew up thinking that. If you started to drown 
out in Huntington Beach, when the lifeguard came, and you were 
flailing about, he might just deliver one swift blow to your 
head, so that it would render you unconscious, and then he 
could bring you up to shore. Makes sense. Again, I've never 
had the experience of such a convention, but there's probably something 
pleasing in that scenario for the lifeguard. He doesn't want 
to have to fight somebody who doesn't want to go to shore. 
I'm trying to help you. Or consider the doctor. The patient 
says, I don't want to get on that table. I don't want to go 
through this surgery. I don't want you to remove my 
spleen. Give him a shot, knock him out, let's take the spleen. 
It's kind of a nice arrangement. You see, for weary and discouraged 
souls, when they hear a pastor say, you need to look unto Jesus, 
he can't take their heads and do that. Any pastor worth his 
weight in terms of spiritual counsel with reference to sanctification 
is going to tell you this, look to Jesus. You don't need self-help. You 
don't need all the maxims and the proverbs and how to be a 
better you. You need to look unto Jesus. Lest you grow weary 
and discouraged in your souls. May I suggest that if this morning 
you are weary and discouraged in soul, look to Jesus. looking away from self, looking 
away from circumstance, looking away from trial, looking away 
from difficulty, onto Jesus. And it also serves this consideration 
of Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself. 
It ought to promote spiritual stamina, lest you become weary 
and discouraged in your souls. It also ought to help promote 
sober assessment. Sober assessment, verse four. 
You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. As bad as your situation may 
be, as difficult as the row may be to hoe, as trialed as you 
may have it, you've not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. You haven't had a crown of thorns 
put into your brow. You haven't felt the Roman scourge 
on your back. You haven't heard people say, 
away with him, away with him, crucify him. You haven't bled. So consider him who endured such 
hostility from sinners against himself to promote spiritual 
stamina, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls, 
but as well to promote a sober assessment. Maybe it isn't as 
bad as you think. Maybe it's not as miserable as 
you think. I think Voice of the Martyrs 
or other magazines or other media or vehicles to instruct us about 
what's going on in the rest of the world is quite helpful to 
promote a sober assessment. When you think of Pastor Saeed 
Abedini, an American citizen currently suffering in an Iranian 
prison with an eight-year prison sentence, I gotta say, brethren, 
that will hopefully promote a bit of sober assessment to call us 
back to reality and to think, you know, maybe I don't have 
it that bad. Maybe I haven't endured such 
hostility from sinners against myself the way my Lord Jesus 
did. Maybe I don't have it like these 
poor people that we read about in Hebrews chapter 11. Others 
were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might 
obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings 
and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. 
They were sawn in two. They were tempted. They were 
slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins 
and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom 
the world was not worthy. Now these weren't people that 
say, you know, I really want the Gucci shirt, or I want the whatever 
suit, or I want this brand of item. I don't want those jeans 
that are 20 bucks. I want 120. That's not what these 
people suffer. It wasn't going to the mall versus 
Walmart. So when you start to think biblically, 
and you start to think Hebrews 11-ish, and you start to think 
Jesus Christ in his person, his work, his resolve, his suffering, 
and his exaltation, when you consider him who endured such 
hostility against himself from sinners, maybe, just maybe, you 
can reflect upon the fact that it's really not as bad as it 
could be. There's a helpful antidote in 
such a remedy. Brethren, well before we get 
to that brethren, the SEALs, we've all become accustomed to 
at least Navy SEAL Team 6. They have a training maxim. It 
is better to sweat in training than bleed in battle. I like 
that maxim. It's better to sweat in training 
than bleed in battle. If you've ever seen their training 
you'll understand what they mean. I mean, these are the guys that 
if they do anything out of line, they have to go in the water 
and then come and roll around in the sand. And then do all the rest 
of their day's events with all that sand all over them. It just 
doesn't sound pleasant to me. You see, they'd rather sweat 
in battle than bleed, or sweat in training than bleed in battle. 
I think what verse 4 is telling us, that it's better to bleed 
in this life than to burn in the life that is to come. I think 
the implication of verse 4 is you ought to be willing and you 
ought to be ready to shed blood to resist these issues. Let us 
run with endurance the race that is set before us. Three thoughts 
we close that won't take long. The first, the believer is in 
a race. Not necessarily against other 
believers. not against your spouse, not 
against your child, not against your parents. You're in this 
race that is defined here for us, the Christian life. We have 
this cloud of witnesses that testify God is faithful. We're 
to look unto Jesus, that author and finisher of faith, that one 
who has saved us, that one who has called us out of darkness 
into marvelous light, that one who has committed and promised 
to bring us unto his heavenly kingdom. I love Paul's statement, 
Philippians 1.6, I am confident of this very thing, that he who 
began this good work in us will complete it in the day of Christ. You know, with reference to this 
race, you need to run. Nobody's going to fault the runner 
who falls. They're going to come and say, 
get up. Right? You've got to run. You gotta go. You gotta take 
it seriously. The Christian life is not laying 
on that pew and just letting angels attend to your every need. 
Christian life is agony, struggle, hardship, difficulty. Cross. You need to run. You need to 
consider, secondly, this blessed incentive. Could we be told anything 
better? than to look unto Jesus? If you 
came to me and said, man, I'm struggling, I'm weary, and I'm 
discouraged in my soul. Well, you need to read Calvin's 
Institutes. Do you think that would help you? It might if you slog your way 
through Calvin's Institutes, because he's going to tell you 
to look unto Jesus. That's what those two big volumes 
say. Look unto Jesus. Could there be a better tonic 
for the Christian? Could there be a better hope 
or help for the Christian? We are to look unto Jesus. If 
you've been using the McShane calendar, you've recently read, 
my beloved is white and ruddy, chief among 10,000. His head 
is like the finest gold, his locks are wavy and black as a 
raven. His eyes are like doves by the 
rivers of waters, washed with milk and fitly set. His cheeks 
are like a bed of spices, banks of scented herbs. His lips are 
lilies, dripping liquid myrrh. His hands are rods of gold set 
with beryl. His body is carved ivory and 
laid with sapphires. His legs are pillars of marble 
set on bases of fine gold. His countenance is like Lebanon, 
excellent as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet. Yes, 
he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this 
is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem." What do you think 
makes this Shulamite happy? Her beloved. What do you think 
this Shulamite thinks about? Her beloved. What do you think 
this Shulamite wants to think about? Her beloved. You see, 
when Paul tells us to run with endurance the race that is set 
before us, and he directs us to Jesus, our hearts ought to 
go, ah. Fantastic! Phenomenal! Glorious! Wondrous! Excellent! Most perfect! There could be 
no better thing for me than to focus upon my Jesus when I run 
with endurance this race that is set before me. Well, how do 
we focus? How do we look unto Jesus? Sometimes 
people mess up here. They think a mystical experience. 
I need to get in the zone and Jesus will zap me and He'll show 
Himself to me. I need to read Calvin's Institutes, 
or I need to read 15 books. Now, I'm not suggesting you shouldn't 
read Calvin's Institutes. If everybody wants to read Calvin's 
Institutes, praise God Almighty. How do we look unto Jesus? Have 
you thought of that? What's it mean to look unto Jesus? 
Guess what I'm going to say. I'm going to say, use the means 
that God has provided so you may look unto Jesus. Read your Bible. How do you look 
unto Jesus? You read your Bible. You sit 
under the public ministry of the Word. You don't miss. You don't absent yourself. You 
don't resist. You don't reject. You know that 
when you come into the Scriptures privately, or when you come into 
the Scriptures publicly, Jesus is there. What about prayer? And when you go into your room, 
your father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly. Pray, 
and you see Jesus. Corporate prayer, and you see 
Jesus. You see, it's not rocket science. 
Looking unto Jesus means, in common Reformed parlance, use 
the means of grace. The ordinances of the New Covenant, 
baptism and the Lord's Supper. You see Jesus in there, don't 
you? Whenever we have a baptism, I hope that you see Jesus. Not 
physically, there he is, this ancient Near Eastern man with 
long flowing robes and the little knock on the door of hearts. 
But you see Jesus work. You see his conquer. You see 
his triumph. You see his victory. You see 
when someone goes into that water and they come up again. It is 
a testimony that Christ the Lord is doing what he promised. And 
when we gather together for the supper, we eat the bread and 
we drink the cup, what are we doing? We're proclaiming the 
Lord's death till he comes. And it's fresh and it's fond 
in our hearts and in our minds. Looking unto Jesus doesn't mean 
shimmy up Mount Sham and spend a week there and deprive yourself 
of food and you'll have some sort of an experience where you 
see Jesus. It ain't that way in the Christian 
life. The Christian life is, pick up 
your Bible and read it. Pray to the living God and go 
to church. See, if you wrote books like 
that, they'd be very small. How to be a successful Christian, 
page one. Read your Bible, pray, go to 
church. You're not going to sell a lot of copies of that, are 
you? You don't need it. It's right here. Brethren, run. Look. Focus. Fight. Strive. And finally, access to 
this race. You see, this isn't the sort 
of race that we qualify for. There are certain sorts of races 
where you have to qualify. You have to have ran the mile 
and a half and so fast in order to qualify for this particular 
race. Not this race. Some races you have to pay for. 
Imagine that. Paying to race. Paying to run. It's like waiting in a line at 
the store. You're going to make me wait 
10 minutes to pay you money? Open another checkout line. You're 
going to charge me money to run 26 miles? Are you nuts? But there are races like that. Access to this race comes by 
God's grace alone. The instrumentality is faith 
alone. The object is Christ alone. You see, in order for us to run 
with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto 
Jesus, we must have first, by the grace of God, looked unto 
Jesus for salvation. We need the gospel. We need Christ. We need the Lord Jesus. We need 
salvation in Him. We need to look and live. Do 
not sit here this morning saying, I need to run better this race. I do need to read my Bible more. 
I do need to pray more. I do need to step up my church 
attendance. If you have never believed the 
gospel. When I say read and pray and 
go to church, I am speaking to Christians. I am speaking to 
believers. I am speaking to those who, by 
the grace of God, have laid hold of Christ and faith. But if you 
are not a Christian, the point of my message now is to look 
unto Jesus for salvation. Jesus the Lord, Jesus the Savior, 
Jesus the One who lived in obedience to the Father's law, who died 
as a sacrifice at Calvary, and who rose again, such that every 
sinner who by God's grace looks to Him in faith will have everlasting 
life. Do not run the race or attempt 
to run the race unless you've been saved. And if you are saved, 
then may I say, run. Quit playing games, quit whining, 
quit grumbling, quit complaining, and run. And I love it, too, 
looking unto Jesus. He's going to help you. I can 
pray for you. I might give you Kelvin's Institutes 
to read. But ultimately, the power to 
successfully run the Christian race is from the one we are looking 
unto. He will never fail you. He will 
never leave you. He will never forsake you. He 
will never turn his back upon you. So run with endurance the 
race that is set before us. looking on to Jesus. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you for your word and we thank you for its clarity and its simplicity 
and God I pray that your spirit would drive these truths home 
to our own hearts. Certainly as Christians we need 
to run with endurance the race And for those who are outside 
of Christ, we pray that you would do what is impossible with men, 
that you'd open their hearts and cause them to hear the truth 
concerning the Lord Jesus and his life, his death, and his 
resurrection. And may they, by your grace, 
believe on him and have everlasting life. And we pray through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen. Why don't we take our hymn 
books and turn to hymn number seven as we close our service 
off this morning.