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Fix Your Eyes On Jesus
Fix Your Eyes On Jesus
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Distractions, We have a lot of them!!!
Phone|Music|News|Stock Market|Sports|Politics|Social Media|Work|Day Dreaming
How do we get rid of all these distractions? We lay aside & Fix our eyes!
WE NEED TO LAY SOME THINGS ASIDE (1)
NOTE THE COMPARISON TO RUNNING...
The runner who seeks to win:
Loses as much weight as possible without hurting performance
Wears clothing that is light and allows freedom of movement
Excess weight, chafing clothing, etc., can be the difference between victory or defeat!WE TOO MUST LAY SOME THINGS ASIDE...
"every weight"
I.e., things which slow down our spiritual progress
Such as "carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life" - Lk. 21:34-36
“Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;
for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.
“But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Also, "anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language..." - cf. Col 3:8; 1Pe 2:1-2; Jm 1:21 Col. 3:8
But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,
like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Such things make "running the race of faith" difficult, if not impossible!"the sin which so easily ensnares us"
Any and all sins should be laid aside
From the context, I understand "the" sin to be the "sin of unbelief"
The epistle was written to encourage faithfulness to Christ and His covenant
We've seen warnings against unbelief - Heb. 3:12-13
Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
When one no longer believes, the race is lost! - He 10:26-39
For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.
Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings,
partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated.
For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.
Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.
But My righteous one shall live by faith; And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.
But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.
WE NEED TO FOCUS ON JESUS (2-3)
WE MUST "LOOK UNTO JESUS"...
Our focus must be upon the Lord as we "run the race"
We might "glance" at others (cf. He 11) But we are to "gaze" upon the Lord Savior (Believers' Study Bible)As suggested by this "Formula For Spiritual Success":
If you want to be distressed -- look within
If you want to be defeated -- look back
If you want to be distracted -- look around
If you want to be dismayed -- look ahead
If you want to be delivered -- look up! - cf. Col 3:1-2
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
For Jesus is "the author and finisher of our faith" - cf. He 2:10
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.
He is the beginning and the end, the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega - Rev. 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
He has blazed the trail for us...
By having run the race Himself
As a forerunner He has entered the heavenly sanctuary - He 6:19-20
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
He has opened a "new and living way" for us - He 10:20
by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
And now He helps us to finish it ourselves - cf. He 7:25
Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
He succeeded in running the race by looking at "the joy set before Him"
The "joy" that inspired Him was likely that privilege of being seated at God's right hand - cf. Ps 16:9-11; Ac 2:25-31
With the anticipation of such "joy", Jesus...
"endured the cross" (the physical pain)"despised the shame" (the emotional and spiritual agony)-- Just as Jesus looked at the joy set before Him, so we must look to Jesus!
WE MUST "CONSIDER HIM"...
We must consider how He endured, not only on the cross, but even before! - He 11:3
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
How He "endured such hostility from sinners against himself"This hostility is something He experienced frequently - cf. Lk 4:28-29; 11:15-16,53-54; 16:14
Meditating upon our Lord will prevent us from becoming "weary and discouraged in your souls"
We cannot run with endurance if we become weary and discouraged
But as we consider the Lord and His example (in itself a form of "waiting upon the Lord"), we shall not grow weary nor faint - cf. Isa 40:31
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
"Running The Race Of Faith" requires...
we must lay aside things which would hinder us
we must keep our focus on Jesus who has made our salvation possible
In both cases, the Word of God (the Bible) is crucial...
For in it we learn what sort of things we must lay aside
For in it we learn about our Lord, what He endured, how His example should inspire us
Have you lost your endurance? Have you grown weary in "Running The Race Of Faith"?
Let the Bible help you examine what "baggage" should be left aside!Let the Bible help you learn about Jesus whose own example can encourage you to continue on with perseverance!
Remember what we read earlier...
"For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise..." (Hebrews 10:36)