From Foundations To Finish Lines

The connection between Hebrews 6:1 and Hebrews 12:1 (Sermon delivered January 25, 2026)

This is the latest message I delivered at First Baptist Church of Montana. It is part of a series based on Hebrews 10:23 and focuses on the “Let us” verses throughout the book. In 10:23, it is written, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

As promised, I will post the notes from each message I preach in my church, normally on the last Sunday of each month. [I will put extra notes in brackets to help explain things where needed, since I usually just glance at the notes and fill in the gaps]

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January 25, 2026

Connecting Hebrews 6:1 and Hebrews 12:1

Hebrews is a book one can study and be either a mile wide and a foot deep or a foot wide and a mile deep.

There is a rhythm in the book—a pattern that leads from the Old Testament satisfactory to the New Testament superior, from growing up to going out, from learning the basics to living out our faith and hope, from foundations to finish lines.

Two verses perfectly capture this simple, yet profound, depth:

Hebrews 6:1 — “Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,.”

Hebrews 12:1 — “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

These are not two separate commands.

Together, they focus on keeping us moving forward.

You grow and train so you can cross the finish line of your race.

ABCs – Reading [we learn the ABCs so we can read and learn more]. Multiplication tables – the language of math, science, and more. Understanding the created universe. [We learn the basics of math so we can study and learn much more about our Universe and gain a glimpse into the mind of God, using numbers, the universal language]

Mastering Fundamentals – gaining expertise.

Training – developing endurance.

Professionals always practice; they remain focused on fundamentals – but never stop there. We must never be content to remain where we are. KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

1. Hebrews 6:1 — God Calls Us to Grow Up

The writer of Hebrews admonishes believers who have been in the faith long enough to be teachers, yet still need milk – the basics. And he says:

“It’s time to move forward. It’s time to grow up (MATURE).”

Not in shame.

Not in condemnation.

But as an invitation to each of us, like a teacher pushing a student or a coach pushing an athlete to achieve more.

There is, though, a hint of disappointment. [Like any parent who wants more for their children]

Why does God call us to maturity?

Spiritual infancy cannot carry us forward to a better understanding of and relationship with God. The more we mature, the more we should be amazed at what God has already done and will do. THEN WE CAN SHARE.

Because the battles ahead require more than the basics. Use the fundamentals to grow, then keep growing. [Our nation’s greatest storm is not a snow storm, it’s the storm that follows the path of the same evils nations in history have suffered through - communism, socialism, naziism, hedonism, paganism, and so many more]

Because God has more for you than the foundation you started on.

A foundation is essential—but no one builds a foundation to admire it.

A foundation exists for something greater. Imagine putting down a cornerstone and stopping.

West Yellowstone. [In West Yellowstone, there is a 20-year old foundation that sits there and degrades; it was meant for so much more.]

Hebrews 6:1 is God saying:

“I built you for more than the starting line.”

2. Hebrews 12:1 — God Calls Us to Run

-The writer moves from the classroom to the track.

From instruction to action. Knowledge is not enough; we need to apply what we know of God to life. We must move.

Act on faith -Learn the colors of your parachutes!!!! ---- Be willing to be looked at as crazy because we are living out a radical faith. [My bride and I got used to jumping off cliffs in faith; we view it as constantly looking up to see what color parachute God is providing each time we jump. Over the course of a military career and 31 years of marriage, we've grown used to it and tend to jump a lot faster.]

“Let us run with perseverance the race set before us.”

-Not a casual jog.

-Not a sprint of excitement with a fast burnout.

-This is a race of endurance. Imagine a cross-country race that lasts a lifetime.

What keeps us from running well and to our maximum potential?

-Weights that slow us.

-Sin that entangles us.

• (Promised Land – Physical, Unbelief – Spiritual) [Just as the Israelites sinned and could not enter a physical promised land of Canaan for 40 years, when we commit the sin of unbelief, we suffer the spiritual consequences by failing to reach maturity - our potential.]

-Voices that discourage us.

-Wounds that distract us.

-Getting stuck in tradition (aka tribal lore). As if they have spiritual value.

-Turning churches into mausoleums, museums, or monuments. When they should act like God’s word in action (sharper than any two edged sword) Hebrews 4

Lay them aside. Not because God is angry—but because they are slowing you down. You are meant for so much more.

Take off the training weights. (Wrists, Ankles, Bats, etc.)

God is not trying to restrict us.

He is trying to release us.

He is like a parent who wants to see a child succeed.

3. The Connection?? — You Can’t Run Without Growing first.

Hebrews 6:1 and Hebrews 12:1 are two sides of the same coin, or both wings of the same bird.

Hebrews 6:1 — Preparation

Grow. Mature. Strengthen your faith. Classroom of Life.

Build spiritual muscle. Church gym time. (Bible, Prayer, Study, Life experience [parachutes practice leading to endurance])

Hebrews 12:1 — Live life

Run. Endure. Persevere.

Live in obedience, keep moving forward. Footsteps in the sand.

Maturity equips you for endurance.

You don’t train for the sake of training.

You train so you can endure - crawl, walk, run – even be carried.

The world is full of people who start.

God is raising up people who finish.

Picture the movie “Facing the Giants” and a coach who pushes a player beyond what they know they can accomplish. Take off the blindfold and run YOUR race with faith in your heavenly coach.

4. The Focus — Fix Your Eyes on Jesus. Head up, not down. [In the video he is down and blindfolded for a purpose. We need to stand and fix on Christ with eyes wide open.]

Both passages ultimately point to the same anchor: Jesus Christ.

He is the foundation of Hebrews 6.

He is the finish line of Hebrews 12.

He is there, not to see IF we win, but to celebrate with us WHEN we win.

We are assured of victory when we are in Christ. Run the race knowing this is a fact. Confident and bold.

Don’t look left or right and compare your life to anybody else’s. RUN YOUR RACE ONLY. [We each must follow God’s will and not look at the circumstances of others’ lives. Being rich or poor, healthy or wealthy means nothing. Being poor is not a punishment from God any more then being rich is necessarily a blessing. Follow God, whether in rags or riches]

Jesus is the One who:

Grows you

Strengthens you

Leads you

Runs with you

Encourages you

Disciplines you

Waits for you

We don’t mature by trying harder.

We mature by drawing nearer, as Hebrews reads, we have direct access, we don’t need to pray to anybody but CHRIST alone. [No sinful man can hear our sins and do anything about them, no fellow sinful can forgive us. Read Hebrews and know this is a major point of the entire book.]

We don’t endure by just gritting our teeth.

We endure by fixing our gaze on CHRIST, knowing the victory is won.

This finish line isn’t one we seek to cross first, but simply to cross one day when God calls us home. We are all winners; we all get the ultimate trophy. All guaranteed by Christ’s work on the Cross.

If you don’t know Jesus Christ though……….this victory is one you will not experience. Seek Christ, reach out to a friend if you have questions - do it now.

5. What are we to do?

God is telling us to-----

Grow up.

Run with perseverance.

Run with focus.

Run with Jesus.

The world doesn’t need more Christians who merely begin.

The world needs believers who finish.

He is calling us into maturity—so we can run with endurance—and finish the race marked out for us. And hear those most precious of words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Closing Prayer

“Lord, move us beyond the basics and into maturity. Strengthen our hearts for the race ahead. Help us to fix our eyes on you—our foundation and our finisher. Let US – fear not, and have great courage. And by Your Spirit, help us run with perseverance until the day we see You face to face. Amen.”