Men’s Retreat
October 19-20, 2002
Introduction
Joab and his army had been surrounded by their enemies. They were trapped. They could have surrendered. They could have fled. But instead they chose to stand and fight.
The Angels have been a fun team to watch this year. It seems that they have this habit of getting
behind in a game, but then they come back in the late innings.
What do they both have in common?
Endurance
Both didn’t quit when the situation looked bad. Both played the game to the end.
Hebrews 12:1-3
:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses,
compassed about – surrounded
The author is referring to the many people he referred to back in chapter
11, those who learned to live “by faith”.
These were all people who learned to trust in God. They learned to trust in
what they didn’t see. They learned to move, live, and act based on their trust
in God and not in their circumstances.
Some had accomplished great victories through their faith, others were
tortured and suffered because of their faith.
And they’re all watching. They’re all up in the stands of heaven watching.
:1 let us lay aside every weight, and the sin …
We need to make decisions in life about the things that will slow us down
in our race through life.
Illustration
I’ve been reading a book about Ernest Shackleton’s voyage to the Antarctic
in 1915. He had planned to take his
ship, the Endurance, to the Antarctic
continent, and then lead a team of six men with dogsleds across the Antarctic
continent. He would be the first to
cross the continent. But he never made
it. Instead, his ship got trapped in the
ice in January, 1915. He and the entire
ships crew of 27 men went through Antarctic winter, months without sunlight,
trapped in their ship. When the ice
began to melt, the ice flows began to shift, and eventually their ship was
crushed in the ice in October, 1915.
They took three lifeboats, dogs and sleds, and whatever supplies they
could salvage and camped on the ice until April, 1916. At one point, as their food stores began to
dwindle, they decided they needed to kill all the sled dogs because the dogs
were eating up too much food. When the
ice began to break up further, it was time to move into the lifeboats. They couldn’t take everything. They had to pick and choose what they would
take.
We too have things that will slow us down.
Some of those things are certain sins that cling to us. Some of the things aren’t sin, but they make
us too slow to be of any good.
Lighten the load.
:1 and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
patience – hupomone –
steadfastness, constancy, endurance; in the NT the characteristic of a man who
is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety
by even the greatest trials and sufferings
The author used this word in:
(Heb 10:32 KJV) But call to
remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured
a great fight of afflictions;
(Heb 10:35-36 KJV) Cast not away
therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. {36} For ye
have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye
might receive the promise.
The same word translated “endured” in the next couple of verses (you might
want to circle and connect them):
(Heb 12:2-3 KJV) Looking
unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at
the right hand of the throne of God. {3} For consider him that endured such
contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your
minds.
This has been one of the main themes of Hebrews, learning to have patience,
learning to endure, learning to stay clinging to Jesus.
1) One of the keys to enduring is fellowship.
We’ve talked about how we need each other.
We need to help each other. We
need to have people around us that are close enough to encourage us, sometimes
even giving us a little nudge to keep following Jesus:
(Heb
10:23-25 KJV) Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without
wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) {24} And let us consider one
another to provoke unto love and to good works: {25} Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one
another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
2) Another of the keys to enduring is faith.
Hebrews 11 is all about learning to trust God even when we don’t see what
is going on. Example after example is given of the various men and women who
trusted God and did what God wanted despite circumstances that should have told
them to not obey.
(Heb
11:8 KJV) By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which
he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not
knowing whither he went.
3) We’re going to learn a third key to enduring (looking unto Jesus)
in the next verse.
the race – agon (“agony”)
– an assembly met to see games; the place of contest, the arena or stadium; the
assembly of the Greeks at their national games; hence the contest for a prize
at their games; generally, any struggle or contest. This is the root of the
word translated “striving” in 11:4. It’s the word (or forms of it) translated
“fought” and “fight” where Paul says –
(2 Tim 4:7 KJV) I have fought
a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
We would all love it if life consisted of sitting back in the easy chair
and flipping channels.
But real life is tough. It is something that we need to “endure”.
Lesson
Keep going
Run the race. Don’t quit.
Sometimes a person is tempted to “quit” the race through suicide. But
suicide isn’t the way to finish the race.
Sometimes we “quit” by bailing out on our relationships.
You don’t know what is ahead. Times may look hard now, but you don’t know
what’s around the corner.
Illustration
The story of Joseph is in the last 15 chapters of Genesis. Joseph was sold
as a slave by his brothers and ended up in Egypt. He was falsely accused by his
master’s wife and ended up in prison. He was forgotten by those who could have
gotten him out of prison. He could have quit. But in the end he had his moment
and it all turned around. He ended up becoming the second greatest man in
Egypt.
:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
looking – aphorao (“away”
+ “look”) – to turn the eyes away from other things and fix them on something
author … finisher –
(Heb 12:2 NLT) We do this by
keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish…
:2 who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the
shame,
Lesson
Jesus’ example.
Jesus endured a cross. Jesus thought little of the shame He had to take.
Imagine the insolence of the people who mocked Him at His death! These were
people created by God, created by Jesus. These were people of whom Jesus could
simply say “die” and they would. But He didn’t.
(1 Pet 2:19-23 NLT)
For God is pleased with you when, for the sake of your conscience, you
patiently endure unfair treatment. {20} Of course, you get no credit for being
patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing right
and are patient beneath the blows, God is pleased with you. {21} This suffering
is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is
your example. Follow in his steps. {22} He never sinned, and he never deceived
anyone. {23} He did not retaliate when he was insulted. When he suffered, he
did not threaten to get even. He left his case in the hands of God, who always
judges fairly.
Follow in His steps.
:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against
himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
consider – analogizomai –
to think over, consider, ponder
Him – toioutos – such as this,
of this kind or sort “Ponder on someone of this kind”
endured – hupomeno – to
remain; to tarry behind
Lesson
Enduring people problems.
People are one of the hardest things to endure.
Jesus faced a lot of junk thrown at him from people who didn’t want to
follow Him. In reality, all the people that gave Jesus a hard time were
“sinners”. In fact, all the people that Jesus ever talked to were “sinners”.
He could have just said, “FORGET IT!!!” He could have said, “Hey you
Pharisees, stop giving Me so many headaches, wake up and smell the coffee!!”
He could have said, “I don’t have to put up with this!”
Illustration
SECRET TO A LONG MARRIAGE
A couple was celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. Their domestic
tranquility had long been the talk of the town. A local newspaper reporter was
inquiring as to the secret of their long and happy marriage. “Well, it dates
back to our honeymoon,” Explained the man. “We visited the Grand Canyon and
took a trip down to the bottom of the canyon by pack mule. We hadn’t gone too
far when my wife’s mule stumbled. My wife quietly said, “That’s once.” We
proceeded a little farther when the mule stumbled again. Once more my wife
quietly said, “That’s twice.” We hadn’t gone a half mile when the mule stumbled
a third time. My wife promptly removed a revolver from her pocket and shot him.
I started to protest over her treatment of the mule when she looked at me and
quietly said, ‘That’s once.’”
Jesus could have easily quit in frustration at the stupid things people
were saying, but He didn’t.
Lesson
Endurance comes from focusing on
Jesus.
You have a choice of what you focus on.
(Mat 14:22-33 KJV)
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go
before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. {23} And
when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray:
and when the evening was come, he was there alone. {24} But the ship was now in
the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. {25} And in
the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. {26}
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying,
It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. {27} But straightway Jesus spake
unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. {28} And Peter
answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
{29} And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked
on the water, to go to Jesus. {30} But when he saw the wind boisterous,
he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. {31} And
immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him,
O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? {32} And when they were
come into the ship, the wind ceased. {33} Then they that were in the ship came
and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Don’t be too quick to criticize Peter. He at least had the faith to attempt
to walk on the water.
But he began to sink when he got his eyes off of Jesus and put them on the
wind and the waves.
What are your eyes focused on?
Are they on the One who has power over the wind and the waves?
Don’t look to Jesus thinking that He’s going to “stop” the
wind and the waves. That’s not the point. That’s a false expectation. God isn’t
just a big “storm stopper”.
He didn’t stop the wind and the waves until He got
Peter back to the ship.
After Jesus got a hold of Peter, He still had to teach
Peter to trust Him during the storm.