Everyone knows that to run a marathon like this, runners run
for 18 hours and then sleep for 6 hours for five or six days. But no one told
Cliff. He just shuffled along day and night, night and day without stopping.
And because of it, he became a national hero. In fact, professional runners
began to study his shuffle and experiment with it. Today, many long distance
runners have adopted the “Young shuffle” as a way of increasing their
endurance.
Endurance is one of the features Paul longs to see in the
lives of the new Christians at Colossae. The writer of Hebrews pinpointed the
need for endurance in chapter 12 when he says, “…looking to Jesus the author
and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross…”
A few years ago I heard David Brancaccio of National Public
Radio talking about a term of economic analysis called, “Hyperbolic
Discounting.” It’s something nearly
everyone engages in these days on a regular basis. We discount the future for
the sake of the present. Let me give you an example. Suppose someone says to
you, “I’ll give you $100 today or $120 next year on this day.” Which would you
take? 95% of all Americans will take the $100 today, even though they could
make 20% on that money by waiting a year. Now why would anyone do that? The
answer’s simple. We discount the value of the future gain by the length of time
it takes to get it. In other words, we may opt for a dollar or more in a week
or two, but we’re not going to wait around for a year for 20 more bucks. The
longer we have to wait, the less we value it. Now why is that? Because the
future is too vague to us. We can’t see it. We’re financially nearsighted.
But Brancaccio doesn’t stop there. He reaches out to Dr.
Joseph Kable, a neuroscientist and associate professor of psychiatry of the
University of Pennsylvania, and he asks, “Is there a pill I can take? Is there
some corrective lens I can wear that will eliminate hyperbolic discounting?”
The professor laughs and says, “I think we’re all looking for a cure. There’s
no cure, but there are exercises that a person can do to strengthen their
financial insight. For instance, you can interview your future self.” You say, “What’s
that mean?” Ask yourself, “In five years where would I like to be? In ten years
what will I value more than I do today?” But Brancaccio went one better. He
found a 94-year-old named Hal and asked him, “Should I borrow the money to redo
my 1960s kitchen?” Hal winced and said, “No way. Do a little bit at a time, as
much as you can afford, as you go along.” “Should I save for my kid’s college
education or should I buy a new Apple watch?” Hal smiled and said, “I think you
know the answer to that. Besides, I saw a Timex at Marshalls for $25.”
Now think of Jesus. “…for the joy that was set before him he
endured the cross…” Meaning what? Meaning there’s no near-sightedness in Him.
In fact, He sets it before Him. Now think of what the writer of Hebrews is
telling us. When Jesus went to the cross He was a volunteer. No one made Him
go. He chose to go. When he rides into Jerusalem that day it was a
transformational event. For three years He has avoided the acclamation of the
crowd. For three years He has refused their coronation. And yet here, on this
day, He chose to go from teacher to king, from Rabbi to Redeemer. He can avoid
the cross. He can succumb to that temptation, but He doesn’t.
You say, “How could He endure it? How could He not break
down and call that legion of angels?” The writer tells us, “For the joy that
was set before him…” Meaning what? Meaning the way Jesus overcame the obstacles
was by refusing to fix His eyes on Himself.
You say, “But if Jesus took His eyes off Himself who was He
looking at?” He was looking at you! The joy that was set before Him is you. Don’t
you see it? He endured the cross, despising its shame for you! You’re part of
His bride. You’re part of the plan. You’re part of the prize. And you know how
I know that? Jesus sat down on the right hand of the throne of God where He’s
praying for you. Think of that. No matter whether it’s in the Upper Room or
Gethsemane, Calvary or the throne, His eyes are never nearsighted.
They’re never fixed on Himself. He never engages in
hyperbolic discounting. His eyes are on you. He sees you completely. He sees
you complete. He sees you as a finished product. No wonder He’s full of joy. He
sees you complete through His work on the cross every day. And all that is by
way of introduction into Sunday’s message, “Purposeful Prayer,” based on
Colossians 1:9-14.
For here in the middle of Paul’s introduction he describes
where his thanksgiving for the Colossians takes him. It takes him into a prayer
for their endurance in Christ. And as we will see on Sunday, in it he will show
us the pattern, the practice, and the power of prayer. It’s a model for what
our prayers can be. In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the
following:
1. If gratitude is the result of acknowledging God’s
sovereignty over our lives, what does prayer acknowledge?
2. Whose prayers are featured most prominently in the New
Testament?
3. What one characteristic is most essential in prayer?
4. Why does Paul pray for things that are so different from the
things that possess us?
5. What is it that prompts Paul to pray without ceasing for the
Colossians? (See verse 9.)
6. What does “spiritual wisdom” mean? (See verse 9.)
7. What does it mean “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord”?
(verse 10)
8. What’s the key to endurance and joyful patience? (See verses
11 & 12.)
9. How important is our inheritance in changing our lives?
See you Sunday as we gather around the table!
