THE CHRISTIAN RACE 

HEBREWS 12:1-4 

          Throughout the New Testament various earthly activities and imageries are used to describe our Christian lives.  We are told that we are in a war and as such we should be always dressed for battle.  We are told that we are ambassadors for Christ and therefore we should go out on behalf of Christ and preach the gospel, winning the lost back to God.  We are told that we are the Temple of God and thus should keep God’s dwelling place pure and holy.  Here in Hebrews we are told that we are in a race.  This morning I would like to focus on some points associated with an earthly race and relate them to our Christian race.  So the title of today’s message is “The Christian Race”. 

      I.      Every race has a beginning. 

When you enter a race you can not just start where ever you want to.  Everyone must come to the starting line.  Now the starting line might be staggered, but for the lane that you are in you must start behind that starting line.  Likewise in our Christian race there is a starting line or a starting point.  The race starts when we invited Jesus into our lives to be our Lord and Savior.  The race starts when our spirits are rebirthed by the Spirit of God which brings us into a sonship relationship with God.  There are many who try to enter the race without coming to the starting line.  This would be like someone starting a 20 mile marathon at the 10^th mile.  It does not matter that he may be leading at the finish line.  He cannot win because he was never really in the race.  He may look like a contestant in the race, but he really is not.  He is just running along, but he cannot and will not receive the prize.  So it is with the religious Church goers who have not entered into relationship with God through Jesus.  He may look like a Christian and may appear to be running the Christian race.  But without first accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, this person can not receive the prize.  Everyone must start this Christian race from the same line; the rebirth experience recorded in John 3.

   II.      Every race has a definite course.

In the natural, a race is run either on a track, along a trail or over a well laid out course.  You cannot be in the race and just run where ever you want to run.  You can not set your own course.  So it is also in the Christian race.  God has laid out a well defined course, but many think that they can just do whatever they want and as long as they are not too bad, they will still get into heaven. 

MATTHEW 7:13-14

            There are many who think they can get into heaven using there own standards, doing what they please rather than being led by God through the Holy Spirit.  But Proverbs 14:12 says “There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.      

The path in Matthew 7 is wide because they are being pulled this way and that way by their flesh, and pushed by the crowds of others going their way.  Though they have no relationship with Christ, they think of themselves as being good enough to go to heaven.  Better still they think that they are not bad enough to go to hell.  They justify their actions and accuse Christians of being judgmental when we point out their error.  They are walking a path filled with millions, headed for destruction.  But the way is narrow that leads to eternal life.  Narrow in the sense that God has set a predetermined course and in order to get in one must follow the course; not straying to the left or to the right.  To follow the course, one must look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.  For Jesus knows ever hill that must be climbed and every twist in the road.  He alone knows the course that we must follow. 

 III.      Every race has rules.

GALATIANS 5:16 

            Rule one is follow the leader.  We are to be led by the Spirit. This is important because we do not know all the rules, nor can we always remember the one’s we have heard.  If we fail to obey rule one we will followed our own selfish desires and end up destroying ourselves.

JAMES 4:7-10

            Rule two is submit ourselves to God and draw near to him.  As we submit to him and draw closer to him we begin to take on more and more of his character.  As a rule we are to be yielding our thoughts, actions, attitudes and behaviors to God constantly.  In doing this our lives would be in a constant state of Cleansing.  In a long distance race it is many times the man who has run in second or third place for most of the distance that comes up and wins.  He has been taught not to seek the lead and be responsible for setting the pace.  But rather he must run close to the leader and be pulled along by the leader current.  This allows him to run smoothly and exert less energy.  If we submit the lead to God and draw near to him so that we can draw from his strength, we can run a smoother more effective Christian race.

           Rule three is dress appropriately.  Ephesians 6:11 says “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”  You can’t enter and win a race wearing just anything.  Imagine trying to win a sprint wearing Timberland boots.  You might look cute but you are not going to win.  Or imagine trying to run a marathon is fleeced or suede warm up suit.  You would pass out from heat exhaustion.  You must dress appropriately in order to compete and win.  So it is in this Christian race.  You will struggle, pass out and be over taken often by your enemy if you do not dress properly for the race.  God has provided suitable attire for the race that we are running.  But we must put on the clothes.

IV.      Every race has a goal.

Sometimes the goal is to win.  Sometimes it is to finish in the top ten or twenty.  Sometimes the goal is just to finish the race.  As Christians we can see several goals.  One goal is when we stand before God in judgment, as seen in Matt. 25:21, we want to hear God say “well done thou good and faithful servant”.  A second goal for the Christian as recorded in I Cor. 6:20 is to glorify God, both in our bodies and in our souls. 

I Cor. 9:24-27

            Of course a final goal for Christians is to not become a cast away.  2 Peter 3:9 teaches us that “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  However we must do our part to assure that we reach the goal living eternally with God.  In an earthly race only one person is normally crowned as the winner.  However, with God all can be winners.  However, just as in an earthly race one must train and show self-control in order to win, so must the Christian.  The Christian must be temperate or self-controlled or his flesh will get in the way of him achieving his goal.  This brings me to the next point. 

V.  Every race has hindrances.

            In an earthly race competitors must face environmental conditions, wind, heat, and even cold and wet days.  They may have poor track conditions or a poor lane assignment.  Two of the biggest hindrances for Christians, outside of our enemy, are other people and weights.

I COR. 15:33

            When we hang around with, or constantly fellowship with those who are not attempting to run the Christian race we will find ourselves stumbling along.  Our good intentions will be corrupted or brought to decay by the bad lifestyle that they are living.  If you are struggling to live holy, stop and take a look at who you are spending the majority of your time with and assess what their role is in your struggling.  Are they a help or a hindrance.

HEBREWS 12:1

            As I have said before, weights are not necessarily sins.  They are anything weighing you down and attempting to keep you from achieving to meet your goal.  A racer can not run and win with ankle weights holding him down.  His desire is to be light on his feet.  Thus he must drop the weights in order to run his fastest.  Likewise as Christians in order for us to run successfully and swiftly we must drop all weights that are tying us down. 

   V.      Every race has its reward.

As we talked about in Bible study this past Wednesday part of the Christian’s rewards are the crowns that God has promised to those who are faithful, love him, and are anxiously awaiting the return of Jesus. 

Romans 2:6-11

            Of course the greatest reward for the Christian is eternal life with God.  We are in a marathon and though it seems that the end will never come, we are promised by a God who cannot lie that the race will one day end and we who have endured hard times will reap life eternal with Him.  But like wise, Romans 2: 8-9 speak of the punishment that awaits those who refuse to obey the truth; those who live an unrighteous life.  They may not recognize it, but they too are running only they are racing in the direction of hells fire and eternal death or eternal separation from God.  Be wise and get in the Christian race, and to those who are already in the race endure to the end so that you may reap the rewards of your training and hard labor.