Howdy You know, we're getting ready for another
school year and we're about to start another
confirmation class You know, I get really excited.
You know, we're about to have some of the families
the parents we're gonna go up and talk about
the schedule for the year and some of the fun
events and different things going on and we've
got meat and treat and we've got pancake breakfast
and all sorts of things but You know, as I think
about what we're doing with confirmation class
and all the different things that we're learning,
I think about how we're bringing young people
up to know more clearly about their faith and
to encourage them to confirm their desire to
follow Jesus. And that's a great thing. Each
time when they come up and they speak and they
talk about their faith before God in this congregation,
You know, I admit I'm filled with joy, but I'm
also filled a little bit with nervousness. See,
I'm filled with joy because I see young people
who are stepping into the race of faith. You
know, they make promises to run with Christ no
matter where the road may lead, but I'm also
nervous because I know that the part of the race
that they've run up to that point, It's been
familiar, surrounded by family, supported by
church, encouraged by friends. It hasn't been
nearly as difficult as it's going to be. See,
anyone who has followed Christ for more than
a little while knows that the course isn't flat.
There are hills that are up ahead. Hills that
will test their endurance, their loyalty, their
courage. Because following Christ as a young
person, it's not always easy. They're expected
to navigate when their friends start drinking
too early. To navigate how to work with others
in a cutthroat world while acting like Christ.
And even to actually talk to people on the phone
instead of just texting them. Which is scary,
apparently. They call it telephobia, I believe.
It's a thing. We see glimpses of the hills when
teenagers have to stand for their faith in a
classroom or when they wrestle with doubts in
a culture that often doesn't share what they
believe and then We don't even know for sure
that we'll even see them past ninth and tenth
grade We also know that there are even more challenges
ahead as they step not only into high school,
but also into adulthood into jobs and families
of their own. The race will be taking them to
places that they cannot yet see. And I see them
standing up here and speaking of their faith.
But those hills have yet to truly test them.
And here's the truth. They're not the first ones
to run this kind of race. Hebrews 11 and 12 tell
us about those who have gone before. Men and
women who have faced all kinds of hills. Each
one shaped by conflict. Conflict with other people
who oppose their paths. Conflict with sin within
themselves. And even conflict with the shame
that the world tries to inflict upon them. These
runners in the faith who have gone before us,
they're not just runners. They're witnesses cheering
us on from the stands. encouraging us to look
at their faith and to take courage. If we look
closely, we can see the course that they ran,
and we can see those like Abraham, Moses, and
Christ himself, along with the whole cloud of
witnesses who have pushed forward to conquer
the world and to seek out what God has in store
for them. See, because running the race of faith.
It's different from running with our bodies.
See, running, normally, we may be able to split
people up in the world into two categories. When
we think about running, we think about those
who get up every morning with the joy of feeling
the road beneath their feet as they make each
stride. And then we think of those of us who
are normal. But when it comes to the life of
faith, that is a race that we are all called
to tackle and endure together. There's a hill
that we think of when we think of the conflict
that we have with other people. See, there's
a story of Abraham and Isaac, and it's a strange
one when we hear about how Abraham was expected
to kill his firstborn son. It's kind of strange,
isn't it? We oftentimes think about people saying,
Abraham, that's terrible. You can't do that.
And yet, they allowed this man over a hundred
years old to walk up this mountain with his son,
who is old enough to know what's probably going
on, and to get ready to do so. Doesn't that seem
a bit strange? that that almost becomes normal.
Because in Abraham's world, human sacrifice,
even child sacrifice, was tragically common to
convince the gods to give you prosperity and
abundance. See, many people would have actually
seen it as normal or even noble to do it. And
even with Isaac likely being older, it wouldn't
have been any less tragic. You see, the real
conflict actually came because Abraham didn't
go through with it. Abraham's story was different
than what others might have expected. See, Abraham
believed that God's promises of having a future
and a family for generations to come, he believed
it was so certain that even if Isaac had died,
he knew God could raise him again. He was willing
to obey. He was willing to sacrifice. He was
willing, even without knowing how God would provide.
But when God provided the ram, Abraham stopped.
He didn't force his way forward to prove his
devotion. He didn't force the way forward like
others in his own family may have done. He embraced
God's mercy and accepted the substitute. Could
you now imagine what it would have been like
to come back and his son was still with him?
All of those who were expecting that the way
to please the gods would have been to go through
with it. Abraham, you didn't follow through.
Abraham, you've gone soft. You didn't give the
Elohim your best. And now, how are we going to
guarantee that we will not suffer for it? To
many people, blessings always require destroying
human life to provide for your community. To
Abraham, though, obedience was about trust. Trusting
in God's grace, trusting in God's mercy, and
trusting that God's way is better than the way
that everyone else approves of or may understand.
And that's a hill that we still have to climb.
Sometimes people oppose us because we refuse
to follow what's normal in the world's eyes.
Sometimes we're urged to do things that may look
faithful or strong, but actually go against the
heart of God. Sometimes we lose those who are
closest to us, or even those that we wish were
closest to us. And that's where it gets uncomfortable.
Sometimes we're the ones on the other side of
that. On the other side from family, on the other
side from friends. But sometimes we're the ones
who are actually encouraging someone else toward
a path that God is trying to pull them off of.
Sometimes we're the ones leading them astray.
Following Christ means being willing to stop,
turn, and choose mercy over the momentum of the
crowd. Sometimes the three are following Christ
and the two are not, but sometimes it's the majority
that betray the heart of God. And sometimes it's
all of us. When we first begin to run, it can
be hard to push through to that runner's high.
even getting over the first hill. But Abraham
shows us that the first hill in the race of life
is learning to trust God's direction, even when
everyone else thinks you should keep going your
own way, or even theirs. But you know, there's
a second hill that we're looking at. Sometimes
we're looking at the conflict that may be happening
within ourselves. You see, Moses knew what it
was like to climb that first hill. In Egypt,
he could have lived in luxury, surrounded by
power with all the approval that the world could
offer because he had been adopted into Pharaoh's
court. But Hebrews 11 says he chose to leave
the luxury and to be mistreated with God's people
rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
In other words, He conquered the hill Abraham
faced, the hill of walking away from the crowd's
approval to follow God's call. He and the children
of Israel went up to the Red Sea, trusting that
God would provide even as he parted the sea,
and then drowned the Egyptians who attempted
to drag them back to the world that they'd left
behind. Walking away from the expectations of
others was not the struggle for Moses as he led
Israel. But when Moses crested that first hill,
he discovered another one rising in front of
him. And this time, the battle wasn't out there,
it was in here. See, Moses wrestled with fear,
insecurity, anger. At the burning bush, his fear
told him, you're not good enough. You can't speak
well. God should send someone else, maybe even
your brother. Your parents didn't really love
you. They kept your other siblings. They sent
you down a river in a basket. Clearly, you're
not good enough. Later, when the people complained
and he felt so disrespected, his anger boiled
over and he struck the rock instead of just talking
to it the way God had commanded. He knew what
God wanted, but in the heat of that moment, another
voice inside said, do it your way. You know this
worked before, so do it again. See, this is the
hill of the inner war. When the voices inside
of us battle for control, and we have to decide
which ones to listen to, sometimes we hear three
voices giving encouragement, and two are trying
to drag us down. And hopefully, We are positive
that day, but sometimes the deciding voice is
the one who says we're not good enough instead.
Paul describes it in Romans 7, for I do not do
the good I want, but the evil I do not want is
what I keep on doing. And it's a hill that we
all know. We may have walked away from the crowd's
expectations, like Moses did with Egypt, but
we still find the harder fight within ourselves.
Pride, fear, bitterness, impatience, self -reliance,
the battle between the Spirit calling us forward
and the flesh pulling us back. We feel strong
and bold and we're willing to let go of the world,
but as we do so we see our own flaws, our own
faults. We stop believing that we're the ones
called to serve or that God could possibly use
someone as fallen as us. Even when the majority
of the voices inside us cry out that God is in
control, we may feed those other voices, the
ones that tear us down until they become dominant,
until their hunger threatens to consume us. We
know our own impatience, the risk of a temper
flaring up within, and we believe that everyone
must see it as well and expect the worst. There
are times when we feel the aches and pains as
we run and we stop believing that we can make
it to the end. But this hill teaches us that
while the hardest opponent may be the one within,
we need to listen to the witnesses cheering us
on from the sides and reminding us that we can
do this. Because that may be the third hill.
That sometimes the conflict of shame Comes from
a world that will not make it easy for us and
that seems to never end See maybe we've learned
to stand against those who oppose our path like
Abraham or maybe we face the inner battle With
sin and discovered that weakness weakness doesn't
have to win Because Christ's strength is made
perfect in our weakness like Moses learned But
even conquering those hills, sometimes the road
is just too long. See, Hebrews 11 doesn't sugarcoat
it. Some were mocked, flogged, imprisoned, stoned,
destitute, afflicted, mistreated, of whom the
world was not worthy. And when we read Acts and
church history, we meet names that bring that
reality into focus. Stephen, the first martyr,
was stoned while praying for his attackers. He
was mocked even in the act of death. Peter, imprisoned
multiple times, eventually was crucified upside
down, a death meant to be humiliating and terrifying.
Paul, beaten, flogged, shipwrecked, ridiculed,
thrown into chains, enduring hardship again and
again for the sake of the gospel. Even these
witnesses, even these heroes, they remind us
that the final hill is not just about the external
enemies or the inner battles. Sometimes the race
of faith feels less like running through a cheering
section and more like running through a gauntlet.
Instead of witnesses urging us forward, we feel
people pushing us back, sneering at us, trying
to convince us that finishing isn't worth it.
Instead of a cloud that welcomes us, it's the
strong wind of rejection, time and time again.
And that's where Jesus comes in. See, Hebrews
12 reminds us that He endured the cross, scorning
its shame. He didn't just survive the suffering,
He conquered it. He ran the course before us.
He broke through the wind. He cut through every
obstacle. He made a way where the path seemed
impossible. He didn't just survive it. He stripped
it of its power. He took the ugliest, most humiliating
death the world could throw at him and turned
it into the doorway of life. But here's the good
news. is that Jesus didn't just give us a pep
talk from the sidelines. You can do it. Go for
it. I'll stand over here and watch. He ran the
course himself. He took every hill. He climbed
the steepest one, the Hill of Shame. And at the
top, he broke through the headwinds. He tore
open the barriers. He cut through the hostility
and he cleared a path. Could you picture it?
The steep hill up ahead, the air thick with opposition,
the wind trying to push you backward. Jesus is
already there pushing through every hardship.
Clearing the way, calling us forward, and on
the sides of the hill, the cloud of witnesses,
all of those who ran before us, run not just
to be jeering, they are cheering. Not making
it easier. but reminding us that this path has
been run before. They've seen what's on the other
side and they've made it. Because at the summit,
Jesus is holding out the baton to us. He's not
just encouraging us from the sidelines. He ran
the race. He conquered the hills. And now He's
calling us to take the next leg. This is the
moment when the endurance of those who went before
becomes a bridge for us The path ahead becomes
ours to run and we see them as our encouragement
now But that's the thing is your own leg of the
race It's not alone. See we're not spectators
We're reminded that we're the ones to run it
now We may be sitting here in our seats, listening
and thinking how wonderful it is what all those
other people did, and then ready to go back into
our lives and watch the race from the side. But
the baton is in your hand. The hills are ahead.
The cloud of witnesses is surrounding you, cheering
you on. And even when you see Jesus leading you
along a new path, blazing a trail that... Maybe
you're wondering if anyone's ever done it before.
We remember that Jesus is with us and that others
still believe in you. So which hill are you facing
today? Are you facing the hill of opposition
from other people like Abraham? Maybe it's a
difficult conversation with a co -worker, a friend,
a family member who does not understand why you're
making certain choices in your life that you
know are right. Or maybe it's the hill of inner
conflict like Moses. Maybe a daily struggle to
be patient instead of letting anger or fear dictate
your decisions. Or maybe choosing humility when
pride wants to take over. Or maybe you're facing
a hill of shame and scorn like Stephen, Peter,
Paul, and even Jesus himself. Maybe it's the
embarrassment or ridicule you feel for living
out your faith in a culture that doesn't share
your values. The sideways glances, the snide
comments, or even the internal shame that whispers
to you, you're failing. But no matter what, we're
called to run it faithfully. To lean on God's
strength because the hill may feel steep, The
road may be long, but every step matters. And
remember, there are others who are counting on
you. That next confirmation class needs to grow
into the faith that we are setting before them.
What do they see when they see us? Because as
we run as the body of Christ, we're helping others
to run it as well. So when you endure, your perseverance
becomes part of that cloud. And your faith encourages
the next runner, just as those who ran before
you encouraged you. So take heart. Take courage.
Take the baton. Because the race is already on.
And we are not running alone. So let's run it
with joy together. Thanks be to God.