Jesus: Author

Notes
Transcript
Text: Hebrews 12:1-3
We are surrounded by great examples of faith and fortitude.
As Hebrews 11:35b-38 reminds us who those examples are:
Hebrews 11:35–38 (NASB95)
… [some] were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;
36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.
37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated
38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
Men and women who, in the past, endured so much for the cause of Christ.
Men and women, young people who IN THE PRESENT still endure pain and loss for the cause of Christ.
Their suffering for the cause of Christ is a testimony is an example to us of how WE should live.
They should inspire us to do what they did and are doing:
Lay Aside Encumbrances
Vs. 12 encourages us to ALSO, like they did, lay aside every encumbrance and sin that entangles us
There are so many things in this world that distract us.
We need to keep the main thing the main thing.
In this case, the Main One, the Main One.
May God help us to lay everything else aside.
Run With Endurance
And let us run with endurance.
It is so easy to get tired.
But God is calling us to go all the way to the finish line.
To do what the Apostle Paul told the Ephesian elders:
Acts 20:24 NASB95
24 “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
And then in he said:
2 Timothy 4:6–7 NASB95
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
The Apostle Paul is a testimony to us that we too can run the race all the way to the end.
Fix Our Eyes on the Author and Perfecter of Our Faith
We can lay aside encumbrances and sin.
We can run with endurance as we do the main thing
Keep our attention focused on Jesus.
Jesus the Author of our faith.
Jesus the Perfecter of our faith.
As the old chorus says:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face!
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace!
May the Holy Spirit enable us to “fix” our eyes on Jesus.
The only place this particular Greek verb is used
A verb composed of a prefix that means “from” and a verb that means “to see”
It implies looking away from one thing to fully regard, to regard with great earnestness and undivided attention something else.
That’s what we ask the Holy Spirit to do in us tonight.
To help us look away from all the distractions of the world to regard with undivided attention, the Lord Jesus.
Let’s Pray!
There were 2 prophetic utterances this morning.
They were both detailed and our recording was not the best, but I was able to pull this from the first uttereance. I’m not sure that we will be able to get anything from the second one. But the first one was:
For the Lord would say,
My children,
There was a day and there was a time when the wind, the wind of My Spirit moved across the embers of your heart.
And it burned with passion for the lost
It burned with passion to see My Kingdom come and my will be done
But you have shut off the corners of your heart
You have closed off the wind of my Spirit from your heart
And I invite you today. I invite you in this moment and this hour to let the wind of My Spirit blow across your hearts once again.
To enflame you with a love for those who are lost and dying.
To enflame you with a love for Me; to see My Kingdom come and my will be done.
Let My wind blow.
Let My Spirit blow.
I promise that I will take care;
I promise that I will take care of those things that concern you.
Let My kingdom come in your life and let My will be done and you will see the wind of My Spirit blow across the embers of your heart.
Let’s pray that New Life will open her heart to what the Lord wants to do. I felt in my spirit that the Sunday morning crowd wasn’t quite ready. It is up to the Sunday night and Tuesday morning group to pray us through to what God wants to do.
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