Sermons on Hebrews 12:1

Hebrews 12:1 “……..and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

Today we are running in a race that we know not how long it will be nor do we know how far we will have to run.  We do know that this race will not end until the hour in which we shed these earthly bonds. We also know that when the race does end, if we have run according to the rules set before us by God in his word, then we will receive as our prize a home in glory with God and the redeemed of all ages (Phil. 4:13-14, 2 Tim. 4:6-8).

The track on which we run is called, “the world”. It is a track that is strewn with all manner of difficulties, temptations and sins that seek to block our way to a successful finish. Only through patience and a willingness to persevere will we ever be able to endure the adverse conditions and emerge victorious. Patience will allow our hearts to rejoice under all conditions knowing that the God we love and trust, the God we serve, the God to whom we have committed ourselves is in control.  There have been a number of things that have occurred in my life that I do not understand why they occurred and I must confess that like Gideon of old, I have cried out, “Why Lord, why”? Then I hear Paul as he says, “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). I hear Isaiah as he says, “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid, the Lord Jehovah is my strength an my song” (Isa. 12:2). I really believe the key to running a successful race is found in the words of the Psalmist, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Ps. 37:7). I love the words of Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not grow weary; and they shall walk , and not faint”.  My faith, my trust, my confidence is in the Lord and even though I sometimes feel so weak and frail and though my human frame sometimes does cry out in despair, I am seeking those things above and my affections are on things above as I patiently press onward and upward. I know what I run for and believe with all my heart that I can and will one day obtain that crown of righteousness. I only pray that all who read these words will be likeminded—Col. 3:1-2, Matt. 6:19-21, Matt. 6:33.

It is imperative that we patiently give ourselves wholly over to God (Rom. 12:1).  We must ever be patiently engaged in a labor of love that will enhance the hope we have for that not yet seen (Heb. 6:10-12). The words of Paul ring out so clearly and beautifully as he speaks of the coming judgment, “Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life”—Rom. 2:6-7.

Charles Hicks