I haven't written much over here, for a couple reasons. First, I've felt rather distant from God the past couple weeks and haven't felt much like telling others how to feel close to Him when I didn't (and don't) myself. Secondly, one particular relationship has really been causing me to struggle and fight for joy and to trust in God's sovereignty in my life and in all the aspects of my existence.
Last night, the suffering was real. I had watched a dear friend endure, and I felt their pain keenly. After I hung up from the Skype call, I got up and paced around my room, frustrated and utterly helpless. My frustration quickly turned into just complete anger with God and frustration at His sovereign hand.
And then I saw something... I was watching a sermon by Francis Chan, and I saw a banner hanging behind his head that read simply, "Until the fame of Jesus fills the earth." And as soon as I saw it, I saw the raw conviction wash over me. I do not exist for my pleasure or for my convenience. I do not live to lead a pain-free life followed by my perfect life with my perfect wife and perfect kids in my perfect little house in my perfect city. I am created to bring glory to my Savior through every event of my life, every hardship, every pleasure, every sorrow, every friendship, every pain, until the fame of Jesus fills the earth.
As I looked for something, anything to give to my struggling friend, I ran across Heb. 12:1-3. I love this passage so much, because it is so clear. It is one of the clearest examples of Christ as the source of my strength in the Bible. "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us 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."
Alright, y'all. Everyone, nose to the grindstone. Get to it. Shed all your baggage and run the race before you. Don't complain, don't show weakness, don't stumble, get to it! Umm, no, not what God says.
"Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our 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. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart."
If anyone reads you verse one alone, they are leaving you helpless, like tossing you off a pier into a raging ocean without knowing how to swim. Heb. 12:1 means nothing with v. 2-3, like telling a toddler who can't run yet to finish a marathon. How? There's no way!
V. 2-3 give us the hope to complete v. 1. Without it, v. 1 leaves us completely hopeless, trudging along an endless trail of "try harder, do more, run faster". There is no empowerment, no hope, no strength in that message. But the Hebrew author doesn't leave us there. He gives us hope.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus. Consider Him. This is the critical step to running the race with endurance. Our endurance can only come from eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, considering Him at every turn, infatuated with His love and overwhelmed by His grace. Without that backdrop, our running the race with endurance is simply a never-ending facade of struggles disguised as strength.
But instead, the Hebraic author points us to Jesus Christ as our everything, the author and the finisher of our faith. The one aim and desire of our hearts, the One we desire above all else. When all else loses its joy, and when everyone we love or desire turns against us, we fix our eyes on "Him who endured such hostility by sinners against Himself". He is our Model, our Father, our Lover, our Joy, our Hope, our Strength, our Beauty, our Righteousness, our Perfection, our High Priest, our Justifier, our Redeemer, our Purifyer. He is our everything!
Running the race apart from complete fixation on Him ends in disaster. Any pastor, teacher, friend, or authority who tries to rally you to run the race without pointing you to Christ is telling you to run a marathon with no legs. My challenge tonight to all of you whose hearts are aching is to look to Christ. Fix your eyes on His beauty, His goodness, His love, and His sovereignty. Consider Him, rerun the gospel through your mind, refresh the things you know are true to yourself throughout the day, forever pointing yourself back to Christ as your Hope and your Strength.
Life hurts. It knocks us down sometimes, and sometimes there are friends to stand over us and sometimes it feels desperately alone. But in those times, Christ is our strength and He is our hope, the only way we can stay afloat in the whirlpool that threatens.
"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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our 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. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart."
Last night, the suffering was real. I had watched a dear friend endure, and I felt their pain keenly. After I hung up from the Skype call, I got up and paced around my room, frustrated and utterly helpless. My frustration quickly turned into just complete anger with God and frustration at His sovereign hand.
And then I saw something... I was watching a sermon by Francis Chan, and I saw a banner hanging behind his head that read simply, "Until the fame of Jesus fills the earth." And as soon as I saw it, I saw the raw conviction wash over me. I do not exist for my pleasure or for my convenience. I do not live to lead a pain-free life followed by my perfect life with my perfect wife and perfect kids in my perfect little house in my perfect city. I am created to bring glory to my Savior through every event of my life, every hardship, every pleasure, every sorrow, every friendship, every pain, until the fame of Jesus fills the earth.
As I looked for something, anything to give to my struggling friend, I ran across Heb. 12:1-3. I love this passage so much, because it is so clear. It is one of the clearest examples of Christ as the source of my strength in the Bible. "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us 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."
Alright, y'all. Everyone, nose to the grindstone. Get to it. Shed all your baggage and run the race before you. Don't complain, don't show weakness, don't stumble, get to it! Umm, no, not what God says.
"Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our 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. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart."
If anyone reads you verse one alone, they are leaving you helpless, like tossing you off a pier into a raging ocean without knowing how to swim. Heb. 12:1 means nothing with v. 2-3, like telling a toddler who can't run yet to finish a marathon. How? There's no way!
V. 2-3 give us the hope to complete v. 1. Without it, v. 1 leaves us completely hopeless, trudging along an endless trail of "try harder, do more, run faster". There is no empowerment, no hope, no strength in that message. But the Hebrew author doesn't leave us there. He gives us hope.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus. Consider Him. This is the critical step to running the race with endurance. Our endurance can only come from eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, considering Him at every turn, infatuated with His love and overwhelmed by His grace. Without that backdrop, our running the race with endurance is simply a never-ending facade of struggles disguised as strength.
But instead, the Hebraic author points us to Jesus Christ as our everything, the author and the finisher of our faith. The one aim and desire of our hearts, the One we desire above all else. When all else loses its joy, and when everyone we love or desire turns against us, we fix our eyes on "Him who endured such hostility by sinners against Himself". He is our Model, our Father, our Lover, our Joy, our Hope, our Strength, our Beauty, our Righteousness, our Perfection, our High Priest, our Justifier, our Redeemer, our Purifyer. He is our everything!
Running the race apart from complete fixation on Him ends in disaster. Any pastor, teacher, friend, or authority who tries to rally you to run the race without pointing you to Christ is telling you to run a marathon with no legs. My challenge tonight to all of you whose hearts are aching is to look to Christ. Fix your eyes on His beauty, His goodness, His love, and His sovereignty. Consider Him, rerun the gospel through your mind, refresh the things you know are true to yourself throughout the day, forever pointing yourself back to Christ as your Hope and your Strength.
Life hurts. It knocks us down sometimes, and sometimes there are friends to stand over us and sometimes it feels desperately alone. But in those times, Christ is our strength and He is our hope, the only way we can stay afloat in the whirlpool that threatens.
"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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our 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. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart."
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