Focus on the Real Hope of Jesus!

Two elderly women went to an orchestra concert. On the way home one asked the other, "How did you like it?" The other woman said, "The way the first violinist blew his nose after the first selection just ruined the entire evening for me."

Some people miss the entire concert of life because they focus on the wrong thing.

We like to hear stories about people who won’t give up. Quitters aren't much of an inspiration, but people who stay with a commitment, even though the going gets tough, are a source of great inspiration to all.

When people start the Christian life, and then quit when the going gets tough, they can become an object of ridicule to some; and a source of discouragement to others. That’s the reason why I think that Hebrews 12:1-3 is so important.

"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."

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Now in this passage the Christian life is not compared to a wind sprint, but to a marathon. In a wind sprint you run as fast as you can for a short distance, and speed is the critical factor. But in a marathon, endurance is the critical factor. Will you make it all the way to the end?

Finishing the race is critically important for all of us who would be followers of Jesus. And this Scripture gives 3 key pieces of advice to help us run the race of life faithfully. The first, is to remember that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. In other words, we can be inspired by those who have gone before.

Notice that chapter 12 begins with the word "Therefore." That connects it with the previous chapter. And in chapter 11 the writer gives a long list of people who have been found faithful.This list includes: Noah, Abraham, Joseph; Moses, Samson, Samuel, David; to name a few.

As you can see, there is a great cloud of witnesses who gather to cheer us on. They whisper in our ear when we become discouraged, and they say to us, "Don’t give up! Don’t lose heart. Don’t quit, whatever you do." We need to be inspired by those who have gone before us, so that we be an inspiration to others!

The second thing the writer of Hebrews says, is that we need to be prepared for the struggles that we will inevitably have to face. He begins by saying, "...throw off everything that hinders." What the writer of Hebrews is saying, is that those things that hinder us, whatever they might be, throw them off!

It might be previous relationships. Now we shouldn't give up all those relationships that are outside of Christ when we become Christians. Because if we do, we’ll never win the world to Jesus. If we just sit around and talk to each other we’ll never be able to win the lost. So, maintain those relationships unless they drag you down and/or pull you away from your walk with the Lord.

Maybe you have some possessions that are hindering your witness for Christ, or are distracting you from serving Him. Maybe you need to get rid of some habits that may, in and of themselves, not be sins, but they’re so time consuming, or so distracting that you can’t focus on Jesus. So you need to get rid of them, too.

The final word is this, we must focus our attention on Jesus. Notice what he says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Jesus was opposed. Jesus was persecuted. People made fun of Him. And yet He stayed the course. He ran the race. He paid the price. So the writer says that when we get weary and tired we are to "fix our eyes on Jesus."

Every Christian, every church needs to hear this because it’s so easy to quit. It’s so easy to say, "I don’t have to do this anymore." But the writer says, "Focus on Jesus. He’s the author, the finisher, and the perfecter of our faith." One day we’re going to stand before Him as our judge.

In closing, remember this...one of these days, we’re all going to stand before the judge of the universe, as guilty as we can be. The evidence is overwhelmingly against us. The accuser will be there to accuse us of all the sins we have committed.

Our only hope is to claim the benefit of the cross. Paul said, "God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of Jesus Christ." So the writer of Hebrews says, "Focus on Jesus because the only hope we have is our hope in Him."

So, run the race with patience. Don’t lose heart. Don’t become discouraged. Don’t quit. Keep on running the race that has been set before us.

Scripture: Colossians 3:2; Matthew 6:33; 2 Timothy 2:15; Proverbs 4:25; Philippians 4:13; Matthew 24:13

Prayer: Lord, you are Holy above all others, and all of the strength that I need is in your hands. Amen

May God bless you all!

Sandra