Hebrews 12:1-3

We are Now Entering the Ending Portion of the Book…

And the Final Warning Passage (5/5)

We Finished Hebrews 11 Last Time

In that Chapter We are Given the Definition and Examples of Truth Faith

Faith is Believing in God and Trusting His Promises…

Even When We Can’t See Him or the Fulfillment of His Future Promises

We Saw Countless Examples of Our Faithful Forefathers Who had Such Faith

Hebrews 12:1–3 (NIV)

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, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1 (NASB95)

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

We as Christians are Surrounded By a Great Number of Faithful People Who Have Come Before Us

When You Think of the Word “Surrounded”, What Do You Think About?

“Surrounded” Brings 2 Feelings to My Mind

1.) A Bad Feeling of Anxiety and Doom

Being Surrounded By My Enemies, Dangers, and Death

2.) A Good Feeling of Love, Comfort, and Peace

Being Surrounded By a Loving Family Who Protects Me and Cheers Me On

The Image We Receive From this Passage is:

A Stadium Filled to the Brim with the Faithful of the Past

They Have Finished Their Race…

But They Remain in the Grandstands to Cheer Us On as We Continue Our Race

We Look Up in the Stands and See Such Wonderful Examples

People Who Experienced Fears, Sufferings, and the Unknown Just Like Us

But They Remained Faithful to God

And We Can Too

Since We’re Surrounded By this Great Crowd of Faithful Runners…

We Need to Run Our Own Race of Life with Endurance and Faith

But in Order to Do that, We’ve Got a Couple Things We Need to Do

We’ve Got Some Things that Weigh Us Down that We Need to Take Off and Lay Aside

A Runner Doesn’t Want to Have Any Extra Weight on Them

Whether it’s Body Weight (Fat) or Artificial Weights

This May Refer to Things that Aren’t Wrong/Sinful…

But They are Not Helpful in Keeping the Faith

(Relationships, Possessions, Interests, etc.)

If These Things Hinder or Weaken Our Faith, They Need to Be Let Go

A Runner Doesn’t Just Need to Get Rid of Weight that Will Slow Him Down and Tire Him Out…

He Also Needs to Check Himself and the Track for Anything that Might Trip Him Up or Obstruct His Path

Sin can Easily Cause Our Race to Be Cut Short so that We Never Finish

If We Have Sin in Our Lives that We Refuse to Lay Aside…

We Will Never Be Able to Keep the Faith

That Sin Will Continue to Grow, Spread, and Fester

When that Happens, We Eventually Turn Away From Jesus Altogether

We’ve Been Reminded of How the Crowd of Faithful Did it…

Now We Must Strive to Imitate Their Faith…

Getting Rid of Anything that Might Slow Us Down, Trip Us Up, or Block Our Path

Hebrews 12:2 (NASB95)

2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

In Our Run of Faith, We are to Fix Our Eyes on Jesus

One of the Best Greek Dictionaries Puts it Like this:

“To Direct One’s Attention Without Distraction”

We are to Direct Our Attention on Jesus Without Distraction

Why?

Hebrews 12:2 (NASB95)

2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Because He is the “Author and Perfecter” of Our Faith

“Author” = The Leader, Originator, First

He is the First and Only One to Ever Have Absolute Faith in God

“Perfecter” = One Who Brings Something to a Successful Conclusion

He is the First and Only One to Ever Reach Faith’s Glorious End

Hebrews 11:39 Says that None of the Great Cloud of Witnesses Ever Received the Promises

But Jesus Did

His Faith Led to His Resurrection to His Glorified Immortal Body

His Faith Led to Immediate Access to the Presence of God

We are to Direct Our Attention to Jesus Without Distraction…

Because He is the Very Example We are Meant to Imitate

Jesus is the Picture of Absolute Faith

If We Want to Run the Race Free of Weights and Obstacles…

We Need to Direct Our Attention to Him and Run as He Ran

We Have Lots of Good Examples to Follow in the Crowd

But He is the Perfect Example

Hebrews 12:2 (NASB95)

2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Word “For” Here can Mean “Because of” or “Instead of”

The Popular Interpretation is “Because of”

Because of the Joy of Glorification for Himself and for the Faithful…

Jesus Endured the Cross

But it’s Possible this Greek Word Means “Instead of”

Instead of Experiencing the Possibility of Joy, He Endured the Cross for Us

I Prefer “Because of”

He Despised the Shame

The Cross Wasn’t Just Excruciatingly Painful, it was Horribly Humiliating

F.F. Bruce Said this:

To die by crucifixion was to plumb the lowest depths of disgrace; it was a punishment reserved for those who were deemed most unfit to live, a punishment for those who were subhuman. From so degrading a death Roman citizens were exempt by ancient statute; the dignity of the Roman name would be besmirched by being brought into association with anything as vile as the cross. For slaves, and criminals of low degree, it was regarded as a suitable means of execution, and a grim deterrent to others. But this disgrace Jesus disregarded, as something not worthy to be taken into account when it was a question of his obedience to the will of God.

For the Joy Set Before Him, He Endured the Most Horrible Pain and Most Horrible Shame

His Joy was to Bring Many Sons to Glory with Him

Because He Endured the Pain and Shame of the Cross By Faith in God…

He is Now Seated at the Right Hand of God in Heaven

A Place of Honor and Royalty

Honor and Royalty that He Wants to Share with Us

Hebrews 12:3 (NASB95)

3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Out of All the Faithful Witnesses Surrounding Us in the Stadium…

We are to Place Our Focus on Jesus

These Hebrew Christians Were Experiencing Hostility From Sinners Because of Their Faith

But Jesus Faced Much Worse and He Remained Faithful

Remain Focused on Him Without Distraction and Imitate His Faith

Drop the Weight that Might Slow Down Your Faith

Get Rid of Any Sins that Might Cause You to Forfeit the Race

Keep Your Eyes Focused on the King on His Throne

When We Do These Things, We Won’t:

Grow Weary and Faint Before We Reach the Finish Line

We Will Keep the Faith and Remain Hopeful of Our Glorious Reward