"Going the Journey" (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Introduction



Over the last two Sundays, we have talked, firstly, about ‘rising above’ those human thoughts that tend more to be negative, by developing a closer more intimate relationship with God. Secondly, we talked about ‘moving beyond’ any tendency to be conformed to this world, by having our mind renewed by God’s Spirit. In these ways, we can have a better chance of acting according to God’s will – pursuing what is good, acceptable and perfect.



Today, we are talking about ‘going the journey’ – that is, making sure that we can travel with Jesus right the way through our lives. Or, as verse 3 (of Hebrews 12) puts it, “so that you may NOT grow weary or lose heart”. We need to keep our faith active, current and vibrant. By this I mean, we need to keep our faith moving outward, addressing today’s challenges, while expressing joy and worship. This sits in the context … where there is often a human tendency to gradually slacken in resolve (without due attention).



Faith is a Journey



Christian faith IS a journey. It begins when we accept God’s grace and start following Jesus, and keeps going from there. Yet, sadly, many people, unfortunately, stop the journey just a little while after the ‘start’ – they either go into reverse or stay completely still. Many are happy to hear words like forgiveness and salvation, but NOT so much words like discipleship and commitment. Some don’t hear enough about the ‘finishing’ of faith, or don’t understand it, or even reject the notion.



Just as Jesus is the “author” or “pioneer” of our faith … the point at which our faith started, we also need him to be the “perfecter” of our faith. This means working with Jesus every day on our best way forward. Understandably, there will be setbacks, times of doubt, trust being tested, dramatic challenges – but we need, especially in times of ‘smooth sailing’, to NOT take the future for granted, but rather be making sure we can go the whole journey.



Last week, I tried to explain that, while we will never be perfect in this life, we need to know what ‘perfect’ looks like, what we need to be seeking to emulate – and I tried to show that ‘perfect’ looks like Jesus … the way he carried out his ministry – the way his sacrificial service and compassion … modelled the very heart of God. This is also how Jesus is the “perfecter of our faith”. His perfection inspires us. It’s NOT just about what Jesus did, but also who Jesus IS!



We need to allow Jesus sway in our lives. Jesus wants to be our ‘finishing school’. Jesus wants to apply the polish to us, that will allow us to shine for him. Although we need to first make ourselves available, it is Jesus who will do this work for us. The One, Jesus, who is the “author” of our faith, wants also to be the “finisher” of our faith. As the New Testament writers seek to motivate us … to maintain an active, current and vibrant faith … they point us straight to Jesus.



Finishing our Faith



Jesus has gone before us in every way, preparing for our path … into our best future. We are asked to persevere through the tougher times, because Jesus endured the cross – in all its public humiliation and torturous pain – as verse 3 puts it, “Consider him [Jesus], who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may NOT grow weary or lose heart”. The NLT translates verse 3, “Think of all the hostility [Jesus] endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up”.



We can also persevere, because we know that God has raised Jesus from the dead and installed him on the throne of the Kingdom of God. The worst that humanity (or the ‘world’) could throw back in God’s face … could NOT defeat the redemptive purposes of God. We can truly be on the ‘winning side’. Jesus continues to barrack for us, and sometimes enters our suffering … to help bring us through to the other side. In this way, and in many others, Jesus is the “perfecter” of our faith.



This concept of “finishing” our faith involves a process of surrender – dropping off and leaving behind anything that is dark, dismal or unnecessary … anything that is weighing us down – what I call ‘life clutter’. This includes anything that tends to disrupt relationships rather than reconcile them. Hebrews mentions “sin” that “clings closely” (v 1) – probably so … because we fail to see it. We need to draw close enough to Jesus … for anything that weighs us down and makes us weary, to be revealed to us.



Our faith needs to be more about the possibilities of the future, than the difficulties of the past. We need to be brought forward out of some of those past experiences … which have been destructive and disruptive, into a new place where the only remaining impact of those old times … is what we’ve learnt out of them. So, we need the hand of Jesus working away at our lives … on an ongoing basis. Sometimes, we may just need to prayerfully narrow our focus … purely onto Jesus – to avoid (any and all) recurrent distractions.



Donald Guthrie writes, that we need, “an ever-deepening attention to the glorious object of Christian faith – Jesus himself”. For, as we read at the end of verse 1, there is a ‘race’ that is “set before us” – a particular path in life – meaning that we each have a best case scenario, out of the heart and will of God, before us! This is the best laid plan! It sometimes sounds illusive or maybe even over-idealistic, but I do want to be … exactly where God wants me to be … most of the time!



The Joy Set Before Jesus



There is an interesting phrase in verse 2, that is worthy of our deep consideration. We are here given a reason why Jesus chose to endure the shame of the cross – “for the sake of the joy that was set before him”! What does this refer to?? What was the “joy” set before Jesus?

• His resurrection, and offering this new life to others … to all of us?!
• Giving us the Holy Spirit?!
• Returning from whence He came … to the presence of God (from which he had been somewhat separated through carrying the sin of humanity – so burdensome that Jesus was caused to say from the cross , “My God my God, why have you forsaken me”)?!
• Being the ultimate leader of a movement of (Spirit-led) disciples, who would take on the ‘great commission’, in going out to the lost and broken, offering them God’s love and grace, so they could come to ‘repent’ and ‘believe’, and become disciples themselves?!
• The whole experience of opening the door of heaven to so many people?!
• I would suggest the answer would be all of this and more!!

The Cloud of Witnesses



There is another interesting phrase here, this time in verse 1. We are given a reason why we should respond positively to these verses. This reason is, “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses”. The NLT helpfully expands this to say, “Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith”. What does this mean??

• As the previous chapter, Hebrews 11, just listed a whole lot of heroes of the faith from Old Testament times, this would likely be part of it. We are likely being encouraged to appreciate and emulate faithful and resourceful people like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, David, and the prophets. Their list of achievements (in Hebrews 11:33-38) includes – faith conquering kingdoms, the (good) administration of justice, promises realised, the mouths of lions closed, strength being seen in weakness, and various expressions of courage and strong commitment to God’s cause. [Yet from verses 39-40 (of Hebrews 11) there is a sense of incompleteness in their faith … until they are drawn into the New Testament experience of Jesus in the fullness of God’s time.]

• Another possibility are those Jesus-followers we know, who have recently, or are currently, putting themselves out there, out of their comfort zone, seeking to serve and share the value of redemptive faith with others.

• And then there is still a further possibility we should see in line with this. Human faith in God is always lived out in community. Real faith, that is active, current and vibrant, will be noticed – there will be “witnesses” … those watching!! The whole world is a ‘witness’ to faith being expressed (or not)! It is the very fact … that there are always “witnesses” to faith, that makes faith so valuable … and so necessary. These “witnesses” are also our friends, family members, co-workers, people in our community groups, and people who serve us in shops; etc, etc, etc. So, it is most unfortunate when ‘believers’ cannot be recognised as ‘believers’.

• Therefore, we should respond positively to the notion of persevering in the race … and allowing Jesus to “finish off” our faith, because, (i) so many people have set such a fine example before us, and, (ii) we are teamed-up with many who are on mission now, and, (iii) that so many people are watching, hoping that there is more to life than what first appears!! As groups of Jesus-followers humbly worship, travel and serve together, this can bring mighty witness and support to whole local communities.  

Practical Work



So, here are some ways of avoiding (or dealing with) ‘growing weary’ or ‘losing heart’ – suggested in an article written by Chuck Lawless, and then worked over by me. Chuck says, “Too many of us … have settled into a monotonous routine Christianity that lacks passion and power”. We can even come to feel apathetic, and NOT really care about nurturing our faith anymore. Chuck says, “When your Christian life has become routine, here are some ways to relight the fire”:

1. Be honest with somebody else about your struggle. Don’t try to win this battle on your own. In fact, it’s sometimes trying to go it alone, without input from others, that contributes to our faith becoming static.
2. Enlist prayer warriors to pray specifically for you. Just knowing that others are praying for you, can begin to make a difference.
3. Take an audit of the possible causes behind any weariness. Sometimes temptation, sin, or worldly compromise (on the one hand), or some form of doubt or a life crisis (on the other hand) … have, maybe even unconsciously or gradually, turned us in a different direction (than where God is found). We can easily get out of the habit of good spiritual disciplines of prayer, worship, bible reading, and service to others. Start to work on these causes.
4. Remember the beginning of your Christian journey. Try to recall the excitement, joy, freedom and peace … you felt at the time.
5. Renew your commitment to Jesus. Also consider … is there something missing … that you need to do or seek e.g. believer’s baptism, or prayer for the Holy Spirit’s movement in your life?
6. Read at least one chapter of the Bible each day. Even if you don’t understand everything you read, you have placed yourself where God’s Spirit can speak into your life (in a life-changing way). The Gospels (MMLJ) are the best place to start a new bible-reading program.
7. Make yourself tell somebody the good news. Trust God … that you will have the right words … that can be heard by another in the best way. Being able to share the gospel – telling others about Jesus – can enliven us, bring joy, and encourage our own faith.
8. Tackle a God-sized task. Rather than avoiding risk (or potential failure), put yourself forward for a challenging task … that undoubtedly you would need God’s help with … to succeed.
9. Thank God throughout the day for each provision. In this way you can be reassured about God’s presence, goodness and care. This also leads to the sort of humility and worship that grows our faith.