Let's Run Our Race

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 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 has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

• We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. Hebrews 11 outlined many people in the past who were faithful to God. Although they are now dead, their lives are an encouragement to us to be faithful too. Their lives encourage us to persevere in the faith.


• Let us lay aside every weight. We must put away every burden and problem. They will slow us down. We must not let that happen. Instead, we are to narrow the margin and keep up the pace.


• And the sin which so easily ensnares us. We must watch where we are going. We must avoid every trap and temptation. They will pull us away from the race.


• Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. We must go on in the Lord for the rest of our life. We don’t know for how long, or how difficult is our journey. We just move forward. No turning back; no regrets.


• Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We must fix our eyes on Jesus. We must stay focused, and stay on course. We are to look up to Him. Jesus is the beginning and the end of our faith. We are to run and finish our race in Him alone!


• It is a race to Heaven. Jesus had finished His race. He had endured the cross for the joy of loving His Father and seeing us saved! He had endured the suffering and shame that is due to us. And He is sitting down at the right hand of the throne of God the Father waiting for us to finish our race!

You Are Not Willing To Come To Me

John 5:31-47

When the Lord Jesus said, “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true,” He was not suggesting that He was an untruthful or an unreliable witness. He is the truth and He is sinless.

What He means by this statement is that if He bore witness of Himself, His testimony would not be true in their estimation.

This was shown later in the attitude of the Pharisees on the occasion when He said, “I am the light of the world.” They responded, “You bear witness of yourself; your witness is not true”.

The Lord Jesus went on to speak of the threefold witness to His claim to be the Son of God, the Messiah :-

• The witness of John the Baptist. The religious authorities had sent a delegation to John who had testified to the truth concerning the Lord Jesus.
• The witness of His own mighty works which the Father had given Him to do. Among these miracles was the healing of the man at the pool.
• The witness of God the Father. God spoke from heaven at the Baptism of Jesus saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”. The Father had testified of Him through the Old Testament Scriptures.

Jesus said to these religious Jews who searched the Scriptures, “But you are not willing to come to me that you may have life”.

They stubbornly rebelled against Christ because they did not have the love of God in them.

They claimed to be disciples of Moses who wrote about Christ in the first 5 books of the Old Testament.

If they did not believe the writings of Moses, how would they believe the words of Christ?

Those who refuse to come to Christ will have no excuse to plead on the Day of Judgment!

They have refused the eternal life that is only to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ.