Choose to Pursue Victory in the Race of Faith

This episode launches the “Eyes on the Prize” series from Hebrews 12:1 and calls believers to run the Christian race with perseverance and renewed commitment. Using the imagery of Olympic training and spiritual discipline, Pastor Chris challenges listeners to look to the examples of faithful believers, throw off anything that hinders their walk with Christ, and pursue the race God has uniquely assigned to them.

Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2285086/episodes/18451045

Key Points:

1. REMEMBER the Examples Who Finished Well (Hebrews 12:1a)
    We look back to the faithful believers described in Hebrews 11, whose endurance, obedience, and trust in God encourage us to stay faithful in our own race.
2. REMOVE the Weights That Hold You Back (Hebrews 12:1b)
    Some things are not sinful, but they slow our spiritual growth and distract us from God’s purpose. We are called to lay aside anything that hinders wholehearted devotion to Christ.
3. RUN Your God-Assigned Race with Perseverance (Hebrews 12:1c)
    Each believer has a unique calling and season of life. God calls us to run our race faithfully, with endurance, purpose, and confidence in His strength.

Personal Stories from Pastor Chris:
Pastor Chris reflects on his father’s athletic opportunities and unexpected life turns, along with his own journey of discipline and calling into ministry, showing how perseverance shapes both character and faith.

Notable Quotes:
 “Finishing well is not about comfort or ease, but about trusting Jesus and staying faithful through every season.”
 “Some weights are not sinful, but they still keep us from becoming who God wants us to be.”
 “We run for a reward that does not fade, an eternal prize found in Christ.”

Actionable Takeaways:
 Heart-level reflection: Ask God to show you where He is calling you to persevere in this season.
 Daily-life application: Identify one habit or distraction you need to lay aside for the sake of spiritual growth.
 Spiritual step or challenge: Commit to pursuing Jesus with renewed focus and intentionality.
 Practical next step: Choose one faith-building discipline to strengthen this week.

Scripture References:
 Hebrews 12:1. Call to perseverance and disciplined faith.
 Hebrews 11. Examples of believers who finished well.
 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. Running to win an eternal prize.
 2 Timothy 4:7. Finishing the race and keeping the faith.
 Galatians 6:9. Do not give up in doing good.
 1 Peter 1:6-7. Trials that refine and strengthen faith.

Keywords:
 Hebrews 12, perseverance, race of faith, finishing well, spiritual discipline, endurance, discipleship, Christian growth, spiritual focus, faithfulness

Challenge:
 Ask the Lord to help you lay aside anything that hinders your walk with Him and to strengthen you to run your God-assigned race with perseverance and devotion.

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The WELL Faith Podcast offers encouraging, Bible-based messages from Pastor Chris Teien and guests. New sermons are released every Sunday. Replay episodes are marked with an asterisk. Find us online at ChrisTeien.com and Rockwell.Church in Virginia, MN. Email comments to wellfaith24@gmail.com

Transcript

Chris T 0:00

Eyes on the prize. And it's focused on Hebrews chapter 12. And the theme kind of has a winter Olympics vibe because that comes up next month. We're going to talk about training, like training like an Olympian now, and then we'll look at champions next month, which actually is Super Bowl, the Super Bowl Sunday month, too. But to think about how we're supposed to train, how we're supposed to find victory in the Christian life from Hebrews chapter 12. And so that's a great chapter for us to look at. So that's what we're going to do for the month of January. We want to make our messages invitable. We want to make them interesting enough, but super godly, super spiritual, and very encouraging because we want you as men and women of God to make a difference in the world with the time that you have and the resources that you have. So when we come to the Olympics, we think about how the training has been going on for a long time. You don't really know many of the Olympians how they got their start. Many people don't sit there and watch an Olympic sport and say, oh, I think I'd like to think I'd like to win a gold medal at that. Often they start doing something. They get started when they're kids, maybe it's skiing or skating or playing hockey or whatever. And so they get started, and then people are like, you're pretty good at that. And then as they continue on, then they're invited to try out for different teams. So my dad was actually invited to try out for goalie for Team USA for hockey a long, long time ago. And would have played football for the Air Force Academy, but he injured his knee. And so interesting how life takes those turns. And but training, to think that the Olympians that we see on TV weren't just born that way. Yes, they've got skill. Yes, they're athletic, but most likely they put off a lot. They put off all the things they could have done instead of training. They've disciplined their bodies and the things that they eat, their sleep, everything to be faster, to be better, to be more competitive. And they've chosen that for a stage of their life, a phase of their life, a time of their life when they want to do everything they can to get that prize, to win that gold medal for themselves, for their country, and to make a difference. And maybe you're not an Olympian, but what kind of things have you been training for? What kind of things are you disciplining yourself for? What kind of things are you looking at as a new year comes around to say, you know what? I think I want to do that differently. I think that the things that I did in the past, maybe I should do more of that and I would be more successful in this coming year. I should prioritize that thing and I'll be better. Or maybe I should do less of that. Maybe that's becoming a distraction, getting in the way. That's what we want to talk about today, those things. But daily discipline, small choices, making big results, pushing through exhaustion, not quitting when others walk away. That's what the athletes do, and that's what Christ followers need to do too, especially in our culture. So it's basically a one-verse message today. And so we'll talk more about it as the month rolls on. But our one verse is Hebrews 12, verse 1. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. That is our one verse. That is the one thing we want to focus on that actually has three different parts, three different parts. So we want to talk about those who have gone before us that inspire us. That's God's plan, that their lives be an example for us. And we're going to see that in Hebrews chapter 11, because as we know, whenever it says therefore, it must be there for a reason, and usually it's for whatever was just said. And so, like in Romans 8:1, therefore there's no no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Here we have, therefore, we're surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. Who are these witnesses? What are they talking about? We're going to look at that. And then to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Number one, remember the examples of those who finished well. So I was told many years ago that when you prepare for pastoral ministry, if you look around the room, other people will become pastors and they'll drop out, they'll fail out, they'll give out, they'll burn out. And very few of you will be standing at the end of your days as you try to serve the Lord and pastoral ministry. And it's a wonderful thing to see people who are finishing well. So old timers who finished well, Billy Graham finished well, Charles Stanley finished well. Chuck Swindah's still going, even though he said he's not the official preacher of his church anymore, but he appears to be finishing well. D. James Kennedy finished well. Many of those people finished well. But even more than that, even more than that, we have scripture that gives us a list of those who finished well. So in Hebrews chapter 11, there's this long list of those who persevered, those who lived for Christ. And it says, a great cloud of witnesses. Now, don't let that confuse you. When it says a great cloud of witnesses, we're not talking about, I don't think anyway, a bunch of people that serve God faithfully, that are looking down from heaven, looking at you. I think it's more of you're surrounded by a list, surrounded by examples of people who serve faithfully, people who lived for God, people who endured trials and persecutions. And that's what Hebrews chapter 11 is is the heroes of the faith chapter. And it lists many people that God greatly used that inspire us. And that's one reason why the Old Testament is so important that we go and if you have time, and this is actually would be a long sermon series, I've done it once before, but to look at all of the different heroes of the faith in Scripture and what can you learn from them. If you actually wanted to do that, if you were to buy a life application study Bible, they actually have pages dedicated to character studies on these people that would help you in that study. But Hebrews 11:1 by faith shows the reality of what we hope for. It's the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. And then it talks about Abel bringing a more acceptable offering. It talks about the faith of Enoch, who was taken up to heaven without dying because God took him. It talks about the faith of Noah, who built a large boat to save his family from the flood. It was by the by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land, that God would give him as an inheritance. It's by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. So Abraham's wife goes on and talks about all of these different people. If you read through the chapter, but then it says in verse 13, all these people died still believing what God had promised them, but they did not receive what was promised, but saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. And so then it talks about Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and how Moses' parents hit him for three months when he was born. And then it talks about Moses' faith. And as you continue to read on, verse 32 says, How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. By faith, these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. You continue on. It talks about those who were tortured, those who refused to turn from God in order to be set free. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and it continues on. But then the thing that I really like is it says, verse 38, They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All these people earned a great good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised, for God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. So that was what the therefore is to highlight what you just read about, to highlight the people that served God faithfully, to show that when you are living for God, it doesn't mean that things are always going to be easy or that things are going to be comfortable or that things aren't going to be scary sometimes. That God can use us to do great things. God encourages us. God helps us. The Holy Spirit helps us. I've mentioned before. The book, The Foxes, Book of Martyrs, is like a list of all these people who are martyred for their faith or near martyred. And a constant theme is how the Holy Spirit gave them courage and strength to get through that. Some died, some didn't die, but many died for their faith, trusting God to the very end, praising Him as they went through it. And that's nothing that we want for the new year. Of course, nothing we want for the new year, but to remember the examples of those who finished well. If I am going to pick a sport, or say I'm in a sport and I am really into it, say it's hockey, okay, being that we're like here in the hockey capital. I drive past the world's largest freestanding hockey stick twice at least twice a day on my way here and on the way back. And every now and then I see people in the street trying to get their pick trying to get that hockey stick in their selfie picture. But if I'm really into hockey, I'd be really excited to go to the hockey museum and go look at the players that really made a difference. I'd be interested to study their life and their skills, learn what made Gretzky great, watch a lot of hockey and see what I could do to be the best. If I want to be a successful pastor, if I want to be a successful Christ follower, I look around to find people that I admire. I read their stuff. I try to learn from them. If they offer any type of training or classes or anything like that, if they write books about their lives, I'm quick to tune in and listen. I try to pick some people that I would like to be like and learn from them. Learn from their mistakes, learn from the challenges, learn from the things that they did that was great and things that they did that wasn't so great. It's always better to learn from someone else's mistakes than it is to make those mistakes on your own. But the Christian life isn't easy. Romans 15 4, Paul writes that everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scripture and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope. Did you ever find hope from what you know about Christ followers that live their life faithfully? There are actually some Christ followers who totally failed in life, and then they got back up and they got forgiveness, and they got restated, and they got right back in the race again, and they continued to serve Jesus the rest of their days. Quick to tell other people don't make the same mistake I did, and this is how I found forgiveness and how I got out of it. But to know that Paul, he's Jesus called him to be the apostle to the Gentiles, his life wasn't easy. He spent time in prison. He endured shipwrecks and snake bites and all sorts of difficult things. Yet, as they endured, they continue to serve Jesus, and it is reward worthy and honorable. 1 Corinthians 9 24 says, Paul writes, don't you realize that in a race everyone runs? But only one person gets the prize, so run to win. All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose every in every step. I'm not just shadow boxing. Paul had talked about sports quite a few times. And to run to win, to run the Christian life to win, what do you need to be more successful in the Christian life? What things do you think a good Christ follower would be doing and are you doing them? What if you're terrified to share your faith? What's important to make disciples and you don't know how? What kind of resources do you need? How can we help you? There, we offer the RightNow Media Video Service. It's free to you. All you have to do is go online to rockwell.church forward slash right now and sign up for an account. You can have multiple accounts for your house. There's like 2,000 kids videos that are helpful, but there's a whole new series of multiple videos to help get you a foundation of faith. It's always great when you can sit with somebody and to learn with them and to go through a discipleship thing. But I think actually the one-on-one sit-down is better a time for you to ask the questions that you have so that people are able to give you input where you need it. And then the stuff that you watch, the stuff that you read helps give you a foundation, helps give you the resources. And then hopefully you'll learn that stuff and be have a foundation to pass that on to others so that God could use you to help someone grow in their faith. At the end of Paul's life, he came back to another sports analogy. I fought the good fight and I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Wouldn't that be a great thing to come to the end of your days and to say that? To say I endured, I struggled, I did everything that I could. I probably could have done it better, but I fought the good fight. And now I see that I finished the race here on this life, on this earth at this time, that God had for me, that I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith to go through your life, not turning your back on Jesus, not giving up even though maybe you were persecuted or people spoke against you, not getting off track. Peter writes in 1 Peter 1 6, be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It's being tested as fire tests and purifies gold, though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Christ Jesus is revealed to the whole world. So, doesn't that kind of sound like Olympic athletes who are tested, who endure trials, who have to participate in a bunch of other contests before they actually reach the Olympics. There's time trials, speed, strength, all these different things that athletes go through to prove that they're the best. And then sometimes they get injured. And some give up, but others endure through the injury and they come back four years later and try again. But in the Christian faith, to know that we must endure difficulties. And God doesn't protect us or shield us from all of those. And actually, when we go through them, sometimes it makes us stronger, sometimes it makes our faith purer. Sometimes people are watching, and we give them the inspiration to keep going, even if we don't know it. But just like Olympic athletes who want to be champions of their sport, we want to be champions of the Christian faith. And to make it real, not just a Sunday thing, but uh every day, especially in the new year. What can we do to be more serious about following Jesus? Think about the people that have gone before you. Who has modeled faith in your life? Maybe a parent or a grandparent who prayed for you, a Sunday school teacher or someone who invested in you, or a friend who modeled true Christian faith as they went through hardship and difficulty. Don't quit. Don't slow down. Keep running your race. God is worth it. Number two, remove the weights that hold you back. Remove the weights that hold you back. So when we watch the Winter Olympics, we'll see special outfits that they wear to be faster, the way the bobsleds and things, the skis and the equipment is made to go faster, to perform better. And Olympic athletes do everything they can to get that athletic edge to be faster, to be victorious. Sometimes they train with heavier weights, so they'll put extra weights on the bobsled stuff in the summer to increase the strength of those pushers. But then when they come to the race, they take those weights off. Nobody shows up to the race with extra weight. No skier shows up with a backpack on just in case he needs some supplies along the way. No bobsledder puts some extra stuff in the bobsled for when they get to the end of the race so they can have snacks together. But they remove the weights that hold them back. And in Hebrews, part of verse 12 says, Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. What is it that gets in the way of you following God? What is it that gets in the way of you serving the Lord, accomplishing his will in his ways? Sometimes it's easy to see things that are holding you back. Sometimes it's easy to see things that are keeping you from reaching your goal. Kent Hughes, who wrote a great book for men, said, What is a hindrance to you may not be a hindrance in any way to someone else. A hindrance is something otherwise good that weighs you down spiritually. It could be a friendship, an association, an event, a place, a habit, a pleasure, an entertainment, an honor. But if this otherwise good thing drags you down, you must strip it away. To endure the race in the race of faith, believers must first set it aside, set aside the needless baggage and useless distractions that would hold them back and slow them down. So what could it be? Social networking and your screen on your phone, those are good things. You can actually use that to reach other people. You can learn so much, but if you turn to it instead of turning to your Bible, maybe that's in the way. There actually are some good things you could watch on TV, some things that are encouraging. Philippians 4 8 worthy that you could watch. But if that gets in the way of you doing the things that God wants you to do, maybe you need to figure out a way to get past that. Many years ago, when I got serious about going to Bible college, I started right out of high school, but then I took a detour. And so I was working full time and my I was the volunteer youth pastor at my church and all this other stuff, but I had to figure out a way to take classes and to study and to write those papers and do all that stuff. And the one thing that I had to get under control is I had to quit watching TV and I needed to get in control of my schedule. And I made a list of when I would study and how I would have time for family and how I could balance it all out. And I did that for a few years, being very purposeful, trying to push off anything that hindered. I remember one time my wife, she's like, Hey, how about if I mow the lawn for you so that you can spend that time with me? That was a great thing. So she was very encouraging and helpful for that. Colossians 3 2 says, Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. And so as we go through this life, as we think about the things that we need to put off, maybe it's sinful. Maybe it is something that is really hindering you because it's sinful. And 1 John 1 9 says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. So we need to ask for forgiveness. Maybe that is what is holding us back. On the other hand, maybe it's unforgiveness in our life that's got us tangled up and unable to move forward as we just can't forgive that other person. And Jesus said when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins. That we are told that we are supposed to forgive each other. And again, Paul writes in Ephesians 4 31 maybe these things are holding you back. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. We're going to talk more about this next week. But number three, run your God assigned race with perseverance. Run your God assigned race with perseverance. Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. So our races could be different. Sometimes the race is different based on your stage of life. Sometimes when you're young, the race is to get educated, to find someone to marry, to go through that. Or maybe you're in the midlife. Crisis, race of life, or whatever, and then as you get to the retired years, maybe that's the race you're running. Maybe it has to do with different stages and heats in life. Maybe your race is to serve God in full-time ministry, like me being a pastor. That's my race. Maybe yours is to lead a Bible study or to care for someone or to encourage people, or maybe you lead a business, and your godliness can be an inspiration and a blessing to other people. We're going to talk more about this race next week when the next verse says, as we do this, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. So Galatians 6.9 says, Let us not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. Are you ready to pursue the prize? Are you ready to pursue Jesus in the new year? I can't wait for next week so we can pick this up again in this place. I hope that you'll come and maybe bring somebody with you. But we'll look at more ways that we can be victorious in Jesus and pursue the prize. And what the prize actually is, a hint. Jesus gives you recognition, even a crown that you might be able to cast at his feet to honor him. Jesus, I thank you so much for your word. I thank you for this time. I thank you for these people. Lord, we commit ourselves to you in this new year. Lord, I pray that through the power of your Holy Spirit, that you would show us the things that need to stay, the things that need to go, and the things that we need to do more of to be more successful in this race of life you've given us. We thank you so much for the exciting Christian life that you offer us, and we want to be part of it. In Jesus' name. Amen.