You know, when I think about maybe your top five favorite verses in the Scriptures, I wonder if maybe one of these verses we’re going to look at this morning is one of those. Certainly, it is one of mine.
If you would turn with me to Hebrews 12, we’re going to look primarily at two verses: Hebrews 12:1-2. I’ll be reading out of the NASB, though I will reference a couple of other versions at times.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of faith,
Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Lord, as we continue in Your presence—and Lord, we do thank You for Your presence—Lord, we thank You for Your great promise that You said, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.”
And Lord, we look to Thee now. We look to Thee by the power of Your Holy Spirit to anoint Your Word, to anoint our ears, to anoint these lips, Lord, that Your Word could go forth and run and be glorified.
We commit this time into Your hands, and we simply pray in Your name. Amen.
Well, saints, we want to consider these two verses in Hebrews 12, this wonderful book of Hebrews. In particular, we want to look at these two occurrences of the words let us—not lettuce, like you put in a salad, but let us.
Now, note the first “let us” comes after the reference to so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us and before exhorting us to lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us.
And the second “let us” comes after the reference to laying aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and before exhorting us to run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus—the what? The author and perfecter of faith.
Now, you’ll also note that the first “let us” is in reference to that which we would call negative or contrary, and the second “let us” is in reference to that which we would call positive or befitting.
You know, we find this principle in the Bible over and over again. If you think of Ephesians 4:22 and Ephesians 4:24, where Paul said to put off the old man—that’s verse 22—and to put on the new man—that’s verse 24.
Or in Romans 13:12, where we are told, “Let us lay aside the deeds of darkness,” and to what? Put on the whole armor of light.
And, of course, we’re all familiar with that profound statement of John the Baptist, in which he said, “He must increase, but I must”—what?—“decrease.”
So we find this principle in these two verses in Hebrews. And as we have already mentioned, the first “let us” speaks of the negative, that which is to be put away, and the second of the positive, that which is to be embraced. Both of these are necessary in attaining the goal to be realized, which is running the race that is set before us.
So once again, we want to look at these two “let us” exhortations and what they reference in this book of Hebrews. Now remember, the book of Hebrews, by nature, is a book of exhortation.
An exhortation is not, per se, new teaching. Exhortation, at its heart, is an encouraging and warning of that which we’ve already heard. We’re not going to hear anything new today, so if you’re looking for something new, I’m sorry, I’m probably going to disappoint you.
But by the Spirit of God, may we be exhorted. May we be encouraged. May we even be warned, so that we can run this race well that is set before us.
Now, the first “let us.” Again, it says:
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us.
As we mentioned already, this first “let us” is preceded by this great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, which is really referring back to Hebrews 11, where we find the author of this epistle listing examples of those who had, in some form or fashion, laid aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangled them, and, of course, who had run with endurance the race that was set before them.
These ones in Hebrews 11 have commonly been called the heroes of the faith. So, in this first “let us,” the author is exhorting us to lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, even as these ones who make up the great cloud of witnesses had done.
Notice this: “Let us” mentions two specific areas or things which we are to lay aside:
We’ve already pointed out that the second “let us” is positive and befitting, and that under the second “let us,” the author relates the Christian life to a race. We see here, under the first “let us,” that he exhorts us to lay aside that which would impede us from running the race well.
Now then, again, the first thing to lay aside in this area is an encumbrance, as it is translated in the NASB. The King James Version translates the Greek word as weight, and Phillips’ New Testament translates this word as hinders. Phillips says, “Let us strip off everything that hinders us.”
Remember, the author is likening the Christian life to a race. I don’t know if you’ve ever run in a race or not, but if you were going to, you certainly would not run a race in boots, or baggy pants, or a heavy jacket.
These things, though not bad in themselves and very necessary at times, would become an encumbrance in running a race. Certainly, boots and jackets have their place on a cold, snowy day, such as up in Vermont. But when one is in a race, they become a weight. They become a hindrance to that which one is trying to accomplish.
The word encumbrance can refer to something that is useless, but primarily it has reference to something in excess or overindulgent. Specific weights may become an encumbrance to some, but not necessarily to others.
You know, reading in Luke 21:34—that would be the NASB—it says:
Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down
with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life.
Notice, it’s a heart issue. Everything comes down to being a heart issue. “Be on guard, so that your heart will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life.”
You know, the King James Version translates this word worries as cares: the cares of this life. We do need to take thought of the necessary things of this life. But when these things become a care, when these things become excessive and we become overindulgent in them, they become an encumbrance, a weight, a hindrance.
You know, we naturally lean toward excess. Have you noticed that? We’re overtaken by discontent very easily.
Consider the children of Israel when they were being led out of Egypt. God supernaturally provided for them all that they needed. Yet we find they were complaining, we find they were dissatisfied, and they even wanted to return to Egypt to indulge in its abundance.
Excessive desire or concern over temporal cares will prevent our running well in this race of faith. Excessive concern will translate into worry.
Think about how much time and energy is wasted on this thing called worry. Some naturally worry about everything. That’s kind of their nature, even if they’re in the best of conditions.
But, you know, worry will grind away at faith like a sandblaster on wood. But why do we worry?
When we are confronted with uncertainty, troubles, and trials, we can find ourselves in a condition of worry. We naturally like to be in charge of our circumstances, our environment. So, when we’re faced with something that we can’t deal with because of our own limitations, or because of limitations of those around us, we can find ourselves overcome with worry.
The simple necessities of life can become major weights upon our shoulders if we allow them to.
Consider what the Lord Jesus said on this matter. Turn with me to Matthew 6. This is in the famous Sermon on the Mount. We’re going to read Matthew 6:25-34.
This is a sermon in itself. If you can read through this and stand up, you’ve done so by the grace of God.
Therefore I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink;
nor for your body, as to what you will put on.
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not worth much more than they?And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
Probably if we could do that, we’d probably all grow to be very old.
And why are you worried about clothing?
Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil, nor do they spin,
yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace,
will He not much more clothe you, you of little faith?Do not worry then, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear for clothing?”
By the way, what’s for lunch today?
For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things;
for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you.So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Is that not true? You know, how these words confront us. They’ll shake you to your very core.
And we see here the supreme motive of the world: to seek after the so-called necessities of life. Now, as we’ve already said, it’s true. We need food, and we need drink. We need clothing. We need a place to live.
But, as the saying goes, do we live to eat, or eat to live? Does the pursuit of these things become the motivation of our lives? If so, then they have become a hindrance, a weight to us.
And, you know, unfortunately, many believers are caught up with the same worry that the world has. If we have not overcome in this area, it’s impossible to run the race effectively.
We cannot be consumed with the cares of this life and the Lord. We cannot serve two masters. We’ll only be loyal to the one or the other. We have to be delivered from this hindrance. And how so?
You know, the Scripture says not a sparrow falls to the ground that our heavenly Father is not aware of, and how much more valuable are we? What efficient army would enlist soldiers and then expect them to fend for themselves in the necessities of life during war?
The Lord says our heavenly Father knows that we need these things. But our problem is, we want to store up excess, for we think in these things we’ll have some sort of security.
But what we’ll find is, we’ll become weighted down and will not be able to run the race effectively.
Regarding this matter of worry, 1 Peter 5:7 says:
Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
Philippians 4:6 says:
Be anxious for nothing,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God.
Be anxious—or worry—for nothing. For nothing. Isn’t that amazing?
So, the cares of this life can become a major encumbrance. But in reality, or in fact, we need to be on guard, realizing that anything could become an added weight in our lives.
When something becomes a cause of stunting our spiritual growth, it becomes an encumbrance, a weight. Let me say that again: when something becomes a cause of stunting our spiritual growth, it becomes an encumbrance, a weight.
You know, Paul set forth a principle of how one can deal with potential weights in their life. He said in 1 Corinthians 6:12:
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable.
All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.
We each need to be constantly open before the Lord, to allow Him to examine us as to what may be a weight and encumbrance in our life. Does it stunt your spiritual growth? Then cast it aside.
Now, also under this first “let us,” it goes on to say, “Lay aside the sin which so easily entangles us.” To be able to lay aside this sin which so easily entangles us, I think we need to define what this sin is.
For us to say it is the sin of unbelief would certainly be in context with what has gone before us in the book of Hebrews. We find in Hebrews 3:12:
Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you
an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
And then the book goes on to use the example of the children of Israel, who had come out of Egypt and were not able to go into the promised land. Why? Because of disobedience, which is a fruit of unbelief.
And Hebrews 4 goes on to exhort us to believe in the word of full salvation, that we can be those who enter into His rest—or, to put it another way, to be those who run the race well.
Then we are given the examples of the many who make up the great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 11, which we spoke of earlier, who through faith persevered in the race to the end. So it would seem that the sin that so easily entangles us would be unbelief.
There are some who say that it is a sin that is specific to each one of us. You know, there is a specific sin that we all tend to find ourselves entangled with. Have you noticed that in your life?
It may be pride, or a bad temper, or lust, or gossip—but one in particular that can easily trip us up time and time again. We may find we have little problem with other sins, but when it comes to this one specific sin, we can become overcome very easily.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. God is not the author of sin, nor does He ever precipitate sin. But He is able to use such a desperate situation in the life of the believer to lead them into deliverance over sin that they have through the cross of Christ.
So, can this be what this verse is referring to—a specific sin that we are so easily entangled with? I think Hebrews 3:13 may give us a more precise answer to what the sin is that so easily entangles us.
But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,”
so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Note, first of all, that the word sin here is singular. It does not say sins. The writer is speaking of sin as a power, a force, a presence.
Also note that sin is deceitful. How is sin deceitful? In answering this question, you’ll have to give me a little liberty so that I can personalize sin.
Sin is deceitful in that it will mislead you into thinking that which is evil is good or necessary. Consider the situation in Hebrews 3, which speaks of those who, through unbelief, could not enter into the promised land.
They had thought it right and good to complain and murmur against their circumstances, thinking they were being mistreated. Thus, they thought it was right to rebel against God. They became hardened by sin because they were misled in thinking that they were right before God.
You know, it’s a horrible place to be in when one thinks they are right and God is wrong. Believers would never say anything like that, but sometimes our actions speak differently, don’t they?
We need to view sin as God does. But we find that, at times, believers’ view of sin falls far short of God’s estimate of sin.
Now, returning back to our verse speaking of the sin that so easily entangles us, this word entangles means skillfully surrounding. Sin is all around us, as it were, strategically waiting to trap us.
Is this our view of sin? Do we see it crouching at the door, as it was with Cain? Are we deceived by it, thinking we’re able to be around it and even handle it as snake charmers do, believing we will not be bitten by it?
Oh, he who thinks he stands, take heed.
Now, does that mean we are to be on the lookout for sin around every corner? Our focus should never, per se, be on sin, but we need to be aware of its deceptiveness, that it ever waits to pounce when we’re off guard.
Sin is ever waiting to trip us up and take us out of the race. We need to acknowledge 1 John 1:8, which says:
If we say that we have no sin,
we are deceiving ourselves.
You know, even as believers, we have a sin nature in us that we inherited from Adam, and it is as if it were surrounding us.
Our verse says to lay aside the sin that so easily entangles us. How so? If I may paraphrase the latter part of Romans 8:13, it says:
By the Spirit, you are to put to death the deeds of the body.
By the Spirit, you are to put to death the deeds of the body. We cannot lay aside the sin that so easily entangles us in our own strength or wisdom. Sin is too strong and smart for us.
Only the Holy Spirit is able to conquer sin and lay it aside. Our place is to heed the Word, to appropriate the Word which says our relationship to sin has been dealt with in Christ. We need no longer be entangled with it. We need no longer let it hinder us in the race set before us.
Whenever the Word exhorts us to do something, conclude that sentence or thought with in Christ. In Christ.
Thus, we are able to lay aside the sin which so easily entangles us in Christ—or, to say it another way, through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
You know, victory, if you haven’t already figured this out—or running this race to win—resides in Him only. And we’re going to further amplify this in the second “let us.”
But before we go there, before we leave this first “let us,” we lastly want to point out the order in which these two specific areas are presented to us. Notice: first, we are exhorted to lay aside every encumbrance; and then secondly, the sin that so easily entangles us.
Now we have to ask the question: Do we really desire to lay aside sin? We have to be careful not to let ourselves be deceived in this matter.
If, in the first case, we’re not willing to lay aside every encumbrance, every weight that impedes us, then we have to ask the question: Do we really desire to lay aside sin also?
If we’re half-heartedly pursuing in this race, allowing excess to creep in, can the sin that so easily entangles us be far behind?
You know, if, for example, we take lightly the word that says, “Make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts,” and we find ourselves placing ourselves in a situation that promotes making provision for the flesh, can we expect to be those who really want to be delivered from the flesh and thus run the race effectively?
May the Lord help us.
Now, the second “let us.” Then again, we’ll read it:
Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,
Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
So, in this first “let us,” we find presented what is necessary to prepare for the race. In the second “let us,” we find presented how we’re to actually run the race.
You know, in a race, there needs to be a specific course. Paul, toward the end of his life, said in 2 Timothy 4:7:
I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the course,
I have kept the faith.
Paul knew he had a specific course set before him, and our verse here says that we do too. No runner can bypass or shortcut the course in a race, or they’ll be disqualified. We need to stay the course set before us.
And as every race has a specific course, it also has a specific goal. The goal is the salvation of our souls through faith.
We also find that there’s a certain ingredient needed to accomplish this race. We see it here, and it is endurance. We’re to run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Or, in other words, we are to be steadfast in the race. We are to be constant in the race. Have you ever seen anybody running a race and then halfway just sit down and take a break? They don’t do so if they’re healthy or if they’re wise.
So, this race requires a patient enduring, because it is not a sprint. It is a lifetime endeavor.
Now, this word endurance means to remain under—to remain under the strain of the race, the hardship and suffering—that we might reach the goal.
You know, we also find this word endurance later on in its verb form in reference to the Lord. It says of Him who, for the joy set before Him, what? He endured the cross.
The Lord remained under discipline throughout His course because of the joy set before Him, which was what? To accomplish the Father’s will, which was to bring many sons to glory.
Now, the key—the preparation for the race, as well as the way in which we’re able to run the race—is found in this short little phrase: “Fixing our eyes on Jesus.”
The King James Version translates this “looking unto Jesus.” The Amplified translates this, “Looking away from all that will distract to Jesus.”
You know, this is the enemy’s favorite tactic: to distract us from looking unto the Lord. He will try to get us to focus on ourselves or a million other things, because he knows, like Peter, when we take our eyes off the Lord, we’re going to what? We’re going to sink.
You know, lions often use this tactic of distraction to catch their prey. Did you know that? The male will often approach and show himself to the prey, which will cause the animal to flee in fear. And guess where they flee to? Right to the females of the pride, who are waiting to catch the unsuspecting animal.
The enemy knows if he can get us focused on anything other than the Lord, we will be unable to stay or continue in the race.
As we said, looking unto Jesus is the key to the race. He’s the One who enables us to lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and to run with endurance the race that is set before us. But how so?
I think it says we know Him as the author and perfecter of faith. So let’s consider this for a couple moments.
Looking unto Jesus, the author of faith. Darby translates this word author as leader. This word is found four times in the New Testament.
In Acts 3:15 and Acts 5:31, the word is translated Prince in the NASB. In Hebrews 2:10, it’s translated as author, speaking of Jesus as the author of our salvation. And, of course, here in Hebrews 12:2.
Thayer translates this Greek word as “one who takes the lead in anything and thus affords an example, a predecessor in the matter.” Let me read that again: this word author—“one who takes the lead in anything and thus affords an example, a predecessor in the matter.”
You know, a good leader will lead by example. And Jesus is the one perfect example and witness as to what faith is. The cloud of witnesses we spoke of in Hebrews 11 only speak in portion as examples of faith, but Jesus is the example of a man of faith.
But we know, first, to become a man of faith, He had to be made like unto His brothers. He had to partake of flesh and blood. And then, being made in the likeness of men, He had to lay aside all His privileges as the Son of God.
Philippians 2:6-7 says:
Who, although He existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, or held on to,
but emptied Himself of His deity.
He laid aside His privileges of God, and He took the place as a man and walked by faith before God the Father. All He did and said was from the Father.
Regarding what He did, it says in John 5:19:
Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself,
unless it is something He sees the Father doing;
for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.
Have we learned this principle yet?
And likewise, in what He could speak, we read in John 12:49:
I do not speak on My own initiative,
but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment
as to what to say and what to speak.
So we see Jesus walk by faith. He perfectly looked away from all distractions, discouragements, and difficulties, and looked to the Father in total dependence.
We find in Jesus the perfect example of a man of faith, one who lived in perfect dependence, communion, and obedience unto God the Father.
We see in Hebrews 12:2 that the Lord’s motive was the joy set before Him, which was the accomplishing of the will of God. And this will, of course, includes leading many sons unto glory.
This joy enabled Him to endure the cross, to remain under that principle throughout His life, which, of course, included His death on the literal cross.
The joy of pleasing His Father enabled Him to disregard the shame, the humiliation He had to go through by the rejection of men. But, oh, how our natural man hates being humiliated. But how our Lord was willing to humble Himself, even unto the death of the cross.
Thus, we find the result of this One who is the perfect example, the perfect leader: at the conclusion of His course, He was able to sit down at the right hand of God.
You know, thank God we have One who has gone before us, One who was the perfect example of faith, One who has blazed a way so that we know the necessary principles of running the race well.
But we know just having an example is not sufficient for us, even as having the law apart from the strength to obey it only condemns us. So, having an example of One who ran well without having the strength to run well ourselves is only going to cause us to hit the wall and fall out of the race.
Yes, we do need an example to show us the way, but we also need the enabling, the strength, to be able to run the race. And thank God, our verse says, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.”
He’s not only the author; He is the perfecter of faith. The King James translates this word as finisher. He’s the finisher. Darby translates it as completer. I like that word. He’s the completer of faith.
We have One who is the example of faith, but One who is also the completer of faith. He’s to be the source of our faith. He is to be the completer of our faith.
Why? Because we do not have this faith within ourselves. But, as Galatians 2:20 says:
I have been crucified with Christ;
and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh
I live by faith in the Son of God,
Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
I like Darby’s translation because he says, “I live by faith, the faith of the Son of God.” Do you see the difference?
All believers have the seed of faith deposited in them by His life. And as we look unto Jesus, trusting and submitting ourselves to Him, He will perfect that faith in us so we’re able to run the race victoriously.
We look unto Jesus not only as our example, but as the One who will perfect our faith. So remember, we have His life in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thus, He’s not only the author, the example, but the perfecter of faith. And as we look unto Him, He will lead us along the course of the race through discipline and trial, steering us away from dangerous detours and pitfalls, and down the straight path of trust and reliance on the One who can alone complete the race.
So, may we be willing, by His grace, to lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us. And let us, by His life, run with endurance the race that is set before us, remembering—remembering—the key is to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
You know, Hebrews 12:3—we didn’t read this in the beginning, but I want to read it in closing. It says:
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself,
so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
You know, I can leave you with no greater exhortation in this matter of not growing weary and losing heart in this great race than to consider Him, to consider Him.
Ponder all that came against the Lord in an attempt to take Him out of the race that was set before Him. But He steadfastly pressed on and overcame, finishing triumphantly.
And He only requires that we let Him finish in and through us the race that is set before us.
So may the Lord help us.