Welcome back to our study of the book of Hebrews. As you recall, we are calling it HeBrews: A Better Blend. It’s been several weeks since we were in Hebrews, but you may recall we are now up to chapter 12.
As we move into the 12th chapter of the book of Hebrews, we find the writer switching gears. Up to this point in his sermon, he has focused on how faith in Jesus Christ is far superior to the faith of the Jewish forefathers. Faith has been examined from both the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, point of view and Jesus has been held up as the object of faith in chapters one through ten. Chapter 11 offered practical examples of how faith makes a difference in the life of a walking, talking, real live person. As we come to chapter twelve, the writer seems to prepare to wrap up his sermon by giving a practical pep talk to his listeners. Join me, if you will.
HeBrews: A Better Blend
In the 1970s when I was a child, we had never heard of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. There is no doubt that some of my classmates could have been poster children for the problem, but it had yet to be named as such. The cure for the problem in those days was not a drug, but a paddle and strict discipline in the home and at school. Both solutions worked well.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is described by the National Institute of Mental Health’s website in the following way: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (over-activity).” (NIMH website)
I think the writer of Hebrews had been given a glimpse into the need of his audience to overcome their spiritual ADHD in order to run the faith race well. As we have learned, they were likely being persecuted for their faith, so they probably were having trouble staying focused on the faith race. Some may have even gone back to the old works-based system of Judaism, while others may have abandoned the faith altogether. Spiritual ADHD.
Join me in the first two verses of Hebrews 12 as we seek the cure for this faith-destroying ill. These are two verses I memorized early in my faith walk and they have been used by God repeatedly to not only encourage me, but also to challenge me. I hope our focused look at them today and next week begins the process of cementing them in your heart and mind.
I would like to give you verse 1 from the New Century Version and verse 2 from the New Living Translation (NLT) because I like the wording:
1 We have around us many people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. (NCV)
2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven. (NLT)
In short, these verses tell us three things:
- Others came before us and ran a great faith race
- You can run a great faith race
- Keep your focus on Jesus.
We have already considered the first of these three reminders in our study of Hebrews 11. Today, let’s begin to delve into the second and third things Hebrews 12: 1-2 tell us.
You can run a great faith race using a few tips!
The writer uses an athletic competition theme to encourage his audience and they would have understood this perfectly. Picture a relay race. There are multiple runners and after each has run a lap, they hand a baton off to the next runner. Past generations have run the faith race…..Abraham, Moses, Paul, John and Charles Wesley, Timothy Dwight, Charles Spurgeon, Amy Carmichael, Dwight L Moody, Billy Graham, Kay Arthur, Beth Moore. Now the baton is being handed off to you and me. What must we do in order to run well?
Never give up! Get rid of what hinders! Next week we will look at both of these tips.
MEDITATION MOMENT: Who has been the person or people to hand off the baton of faith in your life? Share about them here.
