November 2026 ~ Matt Mitchell

“Let Us Run”

Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

The Letter to the Hebrews

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

November 1, 2026 :: Hebrews 12:1-2

Do you like to run? Some people love to run. Others, not so much.

We’ve got some real runners in our church family. Miles and Jennifer are runners. Miles broke his foot running a couple of years ago, and he’s back to running these days. That’s dedication!

Our son Andrew who is visiting us for another week and his fiancée Shelby ran a 50K run in the spring and then hiked 2,500 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail this summer. They even ran some of it!

We’ve got some Cross Country runners among our students. I saw on Facebook yesterday that Ashley has qualified for “states” in Cross Country this year. Well done, you! A saw Ashley run earlier this month. At least, I think it was her. It was a blur. She’s fast.

I used to run when I was young (not like Andrew), but I don’t any more. I like to walk and hike now, but I’m not that into running.

Some of you are like, “If you see me running, there is a bear chasing me.”

And some of you are like, “I don’t care if there’s a bear chasing me. I’m not running!”

And that’s okay. We don’t all have to run physically, but all Christians are called to run spiritually. It’s a metaphor. And it’s in verse 1 of Hebrews 12. The main thing that Hebrews says that we all must do. He says, “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Let’s run! C’mon. Let’s go.

This passage should sound very familiar today because it’s the one from which we get our whole theme for our whole church for this whole year. “Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus.” From verse 2. We’ve been working up to this point now since January. And now we’re coming down to the home stretch.

The writer to the Hebrews has been building an argument to convince his readers (and therefore us) that they should and they can and they must run. That WE should and WE can and WE must run.

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

What does he mean? It’s a metaphor. We don’t have to buy running shorts or shoes to do it. It’s a metaphor for faith. Like we’ve been learning about all through Hebrews chapter 11, all Christians are called to exercise faith in God.

We are called to trust God and choose God and obey God by faith.

Even when it seems kind of crazy.

Even when it hurts.

This life of faith pleases God.

And we’re called to exercise this faith in God again and again and again.

It’s like running a footrace.

One foot in front of the other.

One step followed by another step.

One faith-filled step by another faith-filled step.

And then again.

I have four points about how we are supposed to run the race of faith from these two verses this morning, and here’s the first one. Let us run...

#1. ALL THE WAY.

Let’s go the distance.

Did you hear the emphasis on endurance in verse 1? “Let us run with perseverance [some versions say “endurance,” some say “patience,” run with perseverance] the race marked out for us.”

The Greek word is “hupomonay” and he’s already used it back in chapter 10. He told them, “...do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere [hupomonay] so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised” (10:36, see also 10:32).

Go the distance. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Don’t fall away. Don’t shrink back. Don’t quit the race! Run all the way.

I remember trying to run a 5K once without training for it back when I was fifty pounds heavier than I am today. I made it about half the way, and then I was like, I’ve got to walk or I won’t make it. And then towards the end, I was like, “I don’t think I’m going to make it.” My heart was just beating out of my chest. And I was all sweaty and red-faced.

It might have been smart to drop out of that race. But not the race of faith in God. That’s one we are called to run all the way to the end.

Now, we don’t always know how long our race is going to be. He says, “the race marked out for us.” And it’s different lengths for different folks. Some race for decades and decades before they reach the end. I won’t mention anybody who turned 98 years old yesterday. She gets mad at me when I do! Others have much shorter races.

And the race course takes different turns. Some have more of a straightaway. Some have a twisty course through the woods like Ashley, Abby, Jon, and Simon have running with Cross Country. Some are all up hill.

We don’t choose the race course. We are called to run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

And it might be really hard. The Greek word for “race” is “agona,” from which we get the word “agony.” It’s not always easy to make it to the end of this race.

That’s been the theme of this letter all along, and it’s really going to come home in this chapter. This is hard. Living by faith is hard. It takes spiritual stamina. And we have enemies, we have opponents who want us to drop out of the race. People who think we’re crazy for running it in the first place. And people who just want us to lose.

But this pastor doesn’t want any of these Christians to drop out. So he says, “Let us run. Stay in the race. Keep up your pace. Let’s run and run and run and run and run on."

The Christian life is not a sprint. It’s a marathon. For some of us it’s an ultra-marathon. We need to stay in it for the long haul.

Now, how do you do that? How do you keep going in the race of faith?

Well, think about it. How do you keep going in any race? What helps?

The author keeps running with the metaphor. Point number two. Let us run....

#2. ALL TOGETHER.

Did you hear all the “together words” in there? I love how he includes himself. He says, “we, our, us.” Notice he says, “Let us run.” This is for him, too. Not just for them. But all of us are called to run together.

The Christian life is a team sport. We are not supposed to race alone.

This is a good part of our team right here. Look up and down the rows at your teammates. Let’s run together.

What does our memory verse say? Hebrews 10:24 and 25. Let’s say it again more time. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

“Spur one another one.” BZZZT. Get together with your team. Huddle up on Sunday and throughout the week and encourage each other to go the distance. Are you doing that? Are you encouraging your running mates to keep going? Are you here for the team meetings? That’s what Sunday mornings are supposed to be. It’s the huddle to keep the pack running forward.

Who are you encouraging these days? Who’s encouraging you?

Try this out. Say the sermon title to the person next to you: “Let’s run.” And nod at them. (Maybe with the “up-nod.” Or the “take-it-outside-nod.”) “Let’s run.” Just that is encouragement. You are not alone.

We all have to run ourselves, but we do not run by ourselves.

And, in fact, we are running where many others have run before. Notice what he says first before he even got to the part where he says we should run together. Look at the first part of verse 1. It starts with the word “therefore” which means that this is where the argument has been going all along. V.1

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses...let us run...”

We don’t just have running mates, we have witnesses. A great big cloud of them. I think we’re supposed to picture an arena filled with cheering fans. Maybe like the Coliseum in Rome. But not filled with our enemies who want us to be eaten by the lions. But with our friends, our fans, cheering us on in the race.

Historians say that the first Olympics were in 776 BC. So there had already been Olympics for nearly 850 years when Hebrews was written. They knew about races, and they knew about crowds.

Who is this great cloud of witnesses in verse 1? Who is he talking about?

It’s the Hall of Faith isn’t it? It’s the all the Old Testament believers that we read about in chapter 11.

Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph (and his bones!), Moses’ parents, Moses himself, the people who put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts at Passover, the people marched around Jericho, Rahab the prostitute, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets.

And all the rest! All those Old Testament faith-ers.

Some who seemed like winners. They “conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again” (11:33-35a).

And others who seemed like losers. They “were tortured...faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated....they wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground” (11:35-38).

“Faith of our fathers, living still in spite of dungeon, fire, and sword...Our fathers chained in prisons dark...” (Frederick Faber)

Those are the witnesses! There is such a great cloud of them.

And they are chanting:

“Jesus is worth it!

Jesus is worth it!

You can do it.

We did it.

You can do it, too.

Run! Run! Run! Run!”

Now, notice this. The emphasis here on their being witnesses, is not that they are witnessing us do our running. Though, they may be true on some level. But they are not primarily witnesses OF US, but TO US.

The word for “witness” here is the same root word as “commended.” Remember last week, we saw that “all these folks (both the ones who were winning and ones who seemed like they were losing) were ALL commended for their faith? They all got a good report? Same root word for “witnesses.”

And now they are giving witness, giving a report of how faithful God is. They are commending God to us!

They have finished the race, and now they are cheering us on who are still running it.

I saw this at the Cross Country meet a few weeks ago. Those like Ashley and Abby who got to the end of the race early went back down to the racecourse and cheered on their teammates to finish the race, too. “You can do this! Go, go, go!”

So I think we’re supposed to imagine good old Abel doing it. Remember, he was murdered by his brother. But though dead, he still speaks (11:4). He’s cheering, “Jesus is worth dying for.”

And we’re supposed to hear Enoch. Remember, he walked with God and then didn’t die. He just went straight to God. Enoch is cheering from the sidelines, “It’s worth it! I’ve been there. I know! Run, run, run.”

Noah is saying, “Run! Run! Run! Don’t worry if they think you’re crazy. If God says to do something insane like build an ark when it’s not raining, do it. Run!”

They are all doing this.

Abraham, “Don’t worry that you can’t see the promises yet. They are coming. Run! God can bring back the dead. Run!”

Moses is saying, “You can see him who is invisible. And he’s worth it. He’s of greater value than the treasures of Egypt. Run! Run! Run!”

Rahab is saying, “Don’t let your past determine your future. Your past won’t stop God from loving you. If you trust Him, He’ll be happy to be known as your God. Run! Run! Run!”

Do you hear them? “Run! Run! Run!” They’re lined up in the hall of faith, and you’re running by them out onto the track. “Run! Run! Run!”

Hebrews says that they have been waiting for us. Remember how the last chapter ended? Chapter 11, verses 39 and 40. “These were all commended [witnessed] for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

We’re all in this together. Old Testament believers and New Testament believers like us. All the saints together. Let us run all together to the perfect finish line.

And let’s run light, and let’s run free. That’s point number three. Let us run all the way, all together and...

#3. ALL FREE.

See in verse 1 how he says we need to lighten our load? Look again at 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.”

Before he says we should run, he says that we should get as light as we can.

That makes sense, doesn’t it? If you are going run a long distance, you want to have the least amount of resistance. You want to have the least amount of weight to go the longest way. I didn’t see Ashley carrying a suitcase.

I see a growing number of people using one of these. It’s a weighted vest. I’ve asked for one for Christmas this year. This one is borrowed. It’s supposed to build stamina, heart strength, and endurance when you are training. So your whole system gets a workout.

But when it’s time for the real race, you take the weighted vest off.

Notice what Hebrews says that we need to shed. Verse 1.

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”

Now, that second one should be obvious for Christians. Sin that entangles us. Temptations that beset us. Sin that clings to us that threaten to trip us up. Those things have got to go so that we can run.

What is it for you?

Could be greed?

Could be gluttony?

Could be jealousy?

Could be dishonesty?

Could be sexual sin?

Rage, worry, selfishness, drunkenness, hatred?

You know where you struggle. You know where you’ve given in.

Hebrews says, “throw them off." Repent of your sins. Throw them off. Reject those temptations as the trip-wires they are.

You want to run? Run from sin. Turn away from sin.

The wonderful thing is that Jesus died for our sins so that we can throw them off. We don’t have to sin. We’re going to celebrate how Jesus gives us this victory at this table in just a few moments. But we don’t have to sin any longer. We can throw it off. And be free.

But notice that sin is not the only thing that Hebrews wants us to be free of. He says, “Throw off everything that hinders.” The ESV says, “[L]et us also lay aside every weight...”

I think that includes good things, not just bad things, but good things that are have gotten out of place in our lives and make it harder to run. That could be a hobby, or a friendship, or a pastime, or a habit, or a something else that isn’t bad in itself but keeps on weighing you down. Do you know what I mean?

I remember, years ago, we had a student in our youth ministry who wanted to grow as a Christian, but the sport he was in met at the same time as the youth ministry, and he decided that as much as he loved that sport, it would be better for him to lay it aside for a while to focus on his faith. Now, I’m not saying that everyone should make that exact same choice.

But I am saying, “What is weighing you down?”

Throw it off. Run unencumbered, unburdened, unfettered, unimpeded, unrestricted, uninhibited.

“Throw off everything that hinders...”

Again, notice he includes himself, “Let US all throw off everything that hinders.” We don’t just point out what someone else needs to toss. We get serious about it, too. “[L]et us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run...”

And here’s the most important thing to know about how we can keep running to the end. Let’s run...

#4. ALL FOR JESUS.

Look at verse 2.

“[L]et us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus...”

How many times have we said this year?!

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.

Jesus is at the finish line!

Jesus is the goal.

Jesus is what we are running to.

And Jesus is so worth running to! Nothing better!

And not only is He at the finish line. He’s the One who got us running in the first place. V.2 again.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith...”

Some of your versions may say, “pioneer,” or “founder,” or “captain,” or “source” of our faith. He’s where we get the power to get going in the first place. He’s the starting gun. Run! And he’s the “perfector” of our faith. Ultimately, He’s the One who makes sure we make it to the end!

Because He came on the scene, we are going to be perfected with the Old Testament believers (v.40).

And not only was He at the start of our run and is at the end our run, He also ran the race before us!

Jesus is the ultimate witness! See what he says in verse 2?

“[W]ho for the joy set before him [He also had a goal] endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus saw the future, too. He saw the Cross. He saw how shameful it was. How humiliating. How painful. But He also saw the joy.

The joy of doing His Father’s will.

The joy of resurrection and ascension.

The joy of exaltation at the Father’s right hand.

The joy of saving a people for Himself.

The joy of His kingdom coming in all of its fulness and you and I being there with Him.

The joy of paying for our sins so that they are wiped out.

The joy of sitting down.

His work completed, His reign begun. He sat down! How many times have we reveled in that this year? He said it in the very first paragraph. Chapter 1, verse 3. Chapter 1, verse 13. Chapter 8, verse 1. Chapter 10, verse 12. Our Great High Priest!

“[W]hen this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” (Heb. 10:12). He’s referencing Psalm 110, verse 1.

Church, where is Jesus right now?

He is sitting down at the right hand of the throne of God.

He finished His race!

He ran right through the Cross.

It hurt. That was the worst race course ever.

The worst suffering ever.

The worst humiliation ever.

But He decided it was worth it, and He ran to the end and sat down.

He’s waiting at the finish line.

And now He beckons for us to run to Him.

And for Him.

And because of Him.