Rid, Run, Look

In one paragraph

Pastor Brad opened his 40th birthday year by asking what it really means to live well, and he used Hebrews 12:1-2 to answer that question. The culture sells shallow comfort and self-advancement, but the text calls followers of Jesus to something altogether different: rid yourself of what hinders, run the race marked out for you, and fix your eyes on Jesus. The sermon started from a simple...

Read together

1. Hebrews 12:1-2 the primary text of the sermon, read twice in full, once from NASB and once from The Message paraphrase
2. 2 Corinthians 9:7 quoted briefly during the offering as support for cheerful and intentional giving
3. Galatians 5:13-14 quoted to show that Christian freedom is not license for selfishness but a call to serve others in love
4. James 5:16 cited as the classic text on confessing sin to one another so that healing may come
5. 1 Corinthians 10:31 cited to show that whatever a Christian does should be done to the glory of God
6. Ephesians 2 referenced briefly to affirm that salvation is received as a gift of grace, not achieved by works
7. Psalm 110:1 quoted to explain the session of Christ, his sitting at the right hand of God until his enemies are made a footstool
8. Revelation 19:11-15 quoted to present the fuller picture of Christ as conquering king who judges and wages war with righteousness

Talk about it

1. Brad talked about how the culture constantly sends the message that this life is all we have, pushing us toward comfort, control, and consumption. Where do you see that pressure showing up most in your own daily rhythms?
2. Brad said selfism, which he described as systematic selfishness, can look like perfectly respectable things, such as working hard, retiring early, and spending that time on yourself. What is the difference, in your own life, between a good thing and a good thing that has become a hindrance to running your race?
3. Brad was honest that his own drift away from God usually comes from a desire for comfort or control, and that naming the fear underneath those compulsions helped him address them. What fear, if you were honest, tends to pull you away from God or from serving others?
4. Brad made the point that looking to Jesus is not just one more thing on the list, it is actually what makes running possible at all, and that a real understanding of what Christ did will produce a change the way Natalie reacts when there is a bug on her shoulder. Where in your life do you notice a gap between what you say you believe about Jesus and how you actually respond day to day?
5. Brad described Jesus using the Greek word archegos, a champion who fights in our place, and said his victory only belongs to us if we make him our champion. How would you explain that to someone who had never heard it before, and is there anyone in your life right now who needs to hear it?