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Fixing our eyes on Jesus
By
Pastor Young Joon Park
8-16-09
Text: Hebrews 13:1-3
Review last week
Our
Heavenly Father’s Heart
God
spoke to Jesus
“You are My Son.” – Jesus has an identity from Father
“Whom I love – the affirmation from Father
“With You I am
well pleased.” – Father’s acceptance
Our God is our real Father
who loves us dearly in daily.
1.
Father’s patience for you
2.
Father is waiting for you
3.
Father accepts you as who you are
4.
Father forgives you always
5.
Father restores your position completely
6.
Father restores your sonship
7.
Father does not see your past, but your new life
Today we are going to share
the key issue how to run the race of our faith, and next week I am going to
share Father’s Discipline.
Hebrews 12:1-3
12:1 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,
12:2 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.
12:3 For consider Him who has endured
such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow
weary and lose heart.
I. The race of faith
A. We are in the spiritual arena
1. “Therefore”
Chapter
11 about the heroes of men and women of faith from the Old Testament
How
they started their faith life and how they finished their race of faith even
through the persecutions.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of
things not seen.
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes
to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Hebrews 11:35
Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were
tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better
resurrection;
2. We have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
The
imagery suggests an athletic contest in a great amphitheater. The witnesses are
the heroes of the past who have just been mentioned in Chapter 11. They are the
examples of our faith. The Greek word translated "witnesses" is the
origin of the English word "martyr" and means "testifiers,
witnesses." They bear testimony to the power of faith and to God's
faithfulness.
We
are all in the spiritual arena, positioned for the race and running to win the
race in the Lord everyday when we believe in Jesus.
I
had been involved several different sports because
I liked sports from early
age. I played baseball when I was in elementary school, which I had participated
in school meets several times. Whenever we were in the competition my
fellow students cheered us to win the game. Other school students, of course, cheered
for their own team for
their own team to win, they tried to
discourage us in various ways, also in
an effort for their own team to win.
In our spiritual race, our witnesses call our name and
send encouragement and they are cheering us to win the game all the time. Our
enemy does not want us to win the game at all.
That
is why our enemy constantly keeps acting against us to lose the games, and causes us to get confused and to get discouraged.
Our
witnesses are the Trinity (Our Father God, Jesus Christ , the Holy Spirit) as
our Personal Helper, our Family of God, the angels of God and all
the Lost who are non-Christians. But
remember our enemies are watching us
too.
B. How to run the race
1. let us lay aside (remove, throw off) any hindrance for
the race
1) Every encumbrance (hindrance)
2) and the sin
3) reason: easily entangles us,
We
cannot just go into the sport arena and play the game, but we need to be prepared for the
game, to be ready and follow the rules.
The
sports athletes, men and women, should wear very simple and light cloth, because
they have to run fast to win without any hindrance.
According
to the traditional custom of the ancient Olympic game, the athletes did not
wear any clothes at all, but naked.
They
didn't wear any skirts when they were running, as the clothes slowed them down
and got tangled up with their legs. There was a horrific accident involving being
tripped over skirts, and the athlete broke his neck.
Today,
we have many different kinds of sport wears because of the modern technique.
In
ancient time, they did not have those kinds of clothes.
So
they did not wear any clothes at all during the athletic game.
In
the same matter in spiritually,
So
we need to get rid of every hindrance and the sin that make the run our race.
1) Encumbrance (Hindrance) –
Everything
that are not needed for the race
This
is not about sin issue, but any kinds of hindrance to follow Jesus Christ
like
as the value issue – we have to look for the fruit of the
Kingdom of God
a) Our work
I Corinthians 3:10-15
3:10
According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder
I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be
careful how he builds on it.
3:11
For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
We are going to build up our life on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
3:12
Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, straw,
six different kinds of materials
gold, silver costly stones
wood, hay, straw
God is going to test our work
I Corinthians 3:13-15
3:13
each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to
be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each
man’s work.
3:14 If
any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.
3:15 If
any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved,
yet so as through fire.
b) Our time and life style
Ephesians 5:15-17
5:15
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
5:16 making
the most of your time, because the days are evil.
5:17
So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
2) The sin –
Major
issue against the race
Galatians 5:19-21
5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the
flesh.
5:17
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the
flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the
things that you please.
5:18
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
5:19
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity,
sensuality,
5:20
idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes,
dissensions, factions,
5:21
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.
We
have to remove them from us no matter what they are.
Stop
everything that is hindrance against our race that is set before us from the Lord.
2. Let us run with endurance (perseverance) the race that
is set before us,
The
Christian life is pictured as a long-distance race rather than a short sprint.
That
is why we need endurance for our long distance race until we finish, but many
people choose not to finish the race, but get out of the race.
They
want to see the result right away, but you have to finish your race fully and
completely through the right course if you want a good result. Otherwise you do
not have a chance to see the fruit.
Some
Hebrew Christians were tempted to drop out of the contest because of
persecution.
One
of the major reasons to give up or drop out is the lack of conviction of the
race that is set before them by the Lord. Another meaning is the lack of the Calling
from the Lord, and not focusing on the Lord alone. Without this people will
give up or off course any time whenever things are changed.
A
lot of people come to church because of the relationship with people, but we
need to help them to focus on the Lord alone each other as a family of God, so
they can see their race that the Lord has set before them.
One
of the requirements for the race is the endurance during the race.
Do
not try to give up at all. Giving up your race will be the deadly decision.
Galatians 6:9
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap
if we do not grow weary.
So
we have to keep our endurance for the race.
The
endurance is never giving any chances to give up.
Another
reason why people give up is
because of discouragement by influences
from other people, circumstances, situation, difficult time, uncomfortable
or unhappy…
2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have
kept the faith;
Apostle
Paul’s life was not peaceful life, but
tough through his testimony.
He
had fought the good fight all his life, had finished well every course and had
kept his faith until he died.
We
need this kind of testimony among us.
3. Fixing (let us fix) our eyes on Jesus – our example
1) He is the Author and Perfecter (Finisher)
of faith,
Jesus
is the Originator of the faith.
Jesus
is the Perfecter of the faith.
Jesus is Alpha and Omega of the faith.
Revelation 22:13
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the
Beginning and the End.”
People
can easily change, but our Lord Jesus Christ never changes.
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday and today and forever.
2) He who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,
Our
Lord Jesus Christ never gave up the race as the cross that was set before Him
by Father and He finished it well.
3) He did despising (scorning) the shame,
Jesus really did not concern about the shame at all, but
we are so sensitive in this issue. His focusing was not being concerned about
present comfort, but eternal joy.
He
despised the shame, because it is not important to compare the hope of the
eternity.
Jesus is our example and model for this area too.
4) He has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus focusing was for the eternal matter, but not
focusing temporary present.
Because of this Jesus has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
So our Lord Jesus Christ is
our perfect example to us, so we have to follow His every single step alone. We
do not need any others as our perfect example. Jesus is the only One our
perfect example.
He is our only Goal.
He is our only Vision.
He is our only Example.
We have to focus on Him
alone throughout our life.
He took the cross for the
joy set before Him.
We have to see the eternal
joy set before us that God planned for our destiny.
Our race is to follow Him
and to fulfill His will until we die or until He Comes.
Every athletic people need
the discipline in every area.
4. Consider (think carefully) Him
1) who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself,
2) so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
The
hostility was the environment of Jesus’ life. Satan used his demons and the
people go against Jesus with full hatred, and also he does everything against
all Jesus’ people today.
Jesus
took all our sufferings on the cross, so that
we do not need to grow weary because of
our environments and should not need to be discouraged or be giving up our
life here.
Just
trust the Lord alone.
Conclusion
John
21:21-22
21 So
Peter seeing him (John) said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?”
22 Jesus said to him,
“If I want him
to remain until I come, what is that to you?
You follow Me!”
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