Looking Unto Jesus

I'm certainly glad to be here again this morning and spend this time together.

It's always a delight to be able to gather to worship,

just to be grateful that we live in a country where we have freedom to do this.

I remember years ago when I was still young and single,

just before I went off to Bible college,

I needed to earn some quick money because I was going to be a student.

And God opened up an opportunity for me to go work in a mining camp in Pickle Lake, Ontario.

And I lived in this mining camp.

I was there for several weeks.

And we were working long hours.

It was called mine construction.

And so we weren't limited in the hours we were working.

We were kind of isolated, a little ways away from town.

And then one Sunday I had the opportunity to not work and drive into town.

And there was a little chapel, a group of conservative Mennonite people that had a little chapel there.

And they were doing outreach.

I remember they had these little printed hymn books with hymns in Cree.

And I joined them in fellowship.

And I was just reminded again of how important it is to be with God's people

and to enjoy that fellowship and the encouragement that comes when we worship together,

when we sing together, when we pray together, when we hear the word of God expounded.

It just builds us up and encourages us in that walk with the Lord.

The church that I spent my teenage years in, my dad was pastoring in a little town called Endeavor, Saskatchewan.

And I remember in the back of the platform on the wall, back in those days it was paneling.

And on the wall we had looking unto Jesus, kind of in an arch like this, looking unto Jesus.

Those words come from Hebrews chapter 12.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

And this morning I'm going to be looking at that passage of scripture, Hebrews chapter 12.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

What we're doing with the book of Hebrews is at chapter 12, we're kind of jumping into a sermon.

Now some of the New Testament books are letters that the Apostle Paul or Peter or others wrote to churches

or to groups of individuals to encourage them in the faith to maybe address some issue.

Hebrews is more like a sermon.

And so we're kind of jumping into the middle of a sermon.

And the author of the book of Hebrews, we could say the preacher, the one that was delivering this sermon,

is talking about how Jesus is the fulfillment of all of the Old Testament times leading up to everything is bringing,

bringing, coming together and in the story of Jesus we find the fulfillment.

And so he's showing how the temple worship and the priesthood and all of these things of the past,

how they are all pointing to Jesus and how Jesus comes and fulfills that.

And so in the beginning of chapter 12 there he's talking about let's look at Jesus,

let's fix our attention on Jesus because he is God's plan for mankind to be reconciled to God for creation that is groaning and that has fallen into sin

to be restored to fellowship with God.

So because of this great truth of who Jesus is and because Hebrews tells us in chapter 4 that he is a great high priest

and he has opened the way for us to come with confidence to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy to find grace to help us in our time of need.

And I always like that picture of, in the Old Testament, you know, there was that veil that separated the most holy place from the other parts of the temple.

And only the high priest could enter in there with the blood of the sacrifice.

Once a year he would go there and bring this sacrifice on behalf of the people.

And then Jesus came and when he died on the cross that veil was torn.

That means that now we have freedom to go into God's presence because of what Jesus has done.

And not only that, God has come out of that confined space and now he indwells us.

And he says, when we believe in Jesus Christ, when we put our faith in him, we are a temple of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit lives in us.

So the Holy Spirit is now spread throughout the world in believers.

And we have that confident, bold relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

And so that's kind of some of the story of the book of Hebrews.

And so this preacher is so enthusiastic about who Jesus is and what he has accomplished and how God's plan has all come together.

And how we still have the hope of God continuing that plan and finishing that plan when Jesus Christ comes back again.

So let's fix our eyes this morning on Jesus.

Now to get us thinking along those lines a little bit, I want to ask you to just think for a little bit.

In your own experience, is there a certain truth about Jesus or a certain description of Jesus that is easy for you to relate to?

Or that is especially comforting to you?

Has that maybe changed in your life as you've grown as a believer, as you've walked with the Lord?

Maybe that has changed.

The Bible gives us all kinds of descriptions or ways of thinking about Jesus.

For example, in the Gospel of John, there are a number of statements that Jesus says,

I am.

And of course, for a Jewish person reading the Gospel of John, when Jesus says,

I am the way, the truth, and the life, they would have automatically associated him with God saying in the Old Testament to Moses,

I am who I am.

So Jesus is making that claim to divinity.

So he says, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

Maybe sometimes that truth has just gripped you, and you've said, wow, this is amazing that in this world of confusion,

I can know the truth, and the truth can set me free.

Or Jesus said, I am the bread of life.

Maybe you've walked around with a hunger inside or a thirst, and Jesus said, I am the living water.

And so the bread of life and the living water have just met that need and satisfied that need.

Maybe there have been other pictures or images.

Maybe you're very familiar with the 23rd Psalm, the Lord is my shepherd.

And then Jesus comes in John chapter 10 and says, I am the good shepherd.

John 10 · chapter mention

I lay down my life for the sheep.

So many truths about Jesus.

Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us.

Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor.

Jesus, the Prophet, the Priest, the King.

There are so many pictures of Jesus.

Jesus, the Lion and the Lamb.

Maybe you can especially relate to some of those.

You say, yes, there was a certain time in my life where that truth just became real and meaningful to me

and helped me to understand who Jesus is.

So let's read the first few verses of Hebrews chapter 12.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

And then we'll talk a little bit about this idea of walking with Jesus.

The whole thrust of the message in the book of Hebrews is about persevering or about endurance.

And so in chapter 12, we find the preacher is starting to kind of wrap up his sermon.

He's trying to bring, he's bringing some of these loose ends together.

And he's saying, this is how we walk with God.

This is how we persevere.

This is how we endure.

Because life is not always easy.

The Christian life is not always easy.

Sometimes it's great.

Sometimes it's easy.

Sometimes we live on the mountain.

Sometimes we're in the valley.

So let's read Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1.

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,

let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles,

and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy set before him endured the cross,

scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men

so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In your struggle against sin,

you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

And you have forgotten the word of encouragement that addresses you as sons.

My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,

and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.

Endure hardship as discipline.

God is treating you as sons.

For what son is not disciplined by his father?

And if you are not disciplined and everyone undergoes discipline,

then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

Moreover, we all had human fathers who disciplined us,

and we respected them for it.

How much more should we submit to the father of our spirits and live?

Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best,

but God disciplines us for our good.

God is good.

God is always loving.

God is always just.

God is always righteous.

God is always fair.

God is always pulling for us.

Oh, God is rooting for us.

He does it for our good,

that we may share in his holiness.

To belong to the family of God.

To be one with God.

To be reconciled to God.

That we may share in his holiness.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time.

Well, we can probably all relate to that, can't we?

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.

Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace

for those who have been trained by it.

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.

Make level paths for your feet so that what is lame may not be disabled,

but rather healed.

So there we read a little bit about God's purpose for us.

He starts off saying, therefore,

and when we read therefore in the Bible,

then we always look to see what it is there for, right?

You've heard that before, haven't you?

Many times.

If you've been to church, you've heard that over and over and over again, right?

So, chapter 11 is what we refer to as the heroes of the faith.

There's a whole list of people that walked with God,

that depended on God, that trusted God.

So we read about Abraham, we read about Moses,

we read about these heroes of the faith

and how they clung to the promise of God,

even though sometimes in this lifetime here on earth,

they didn't see the promise fulfilled,

but they held on to the promise of God.

They said, what God has spoken is true,

and I will put my trust in it.

I will believe that God has spoken,

that he means what he says,

and that he will fulfill his promises.

And some of them saw great miracles in their life,

some of them saw great deliverances in their life,

some of them saw great evidences of God's power in their life.

And it said,

And others went through all kinds of hardship.

They faced jeers,

they faced persecution,

they faced oppression,

they were stoned,

they were put to death by the sword,

they were destitute and persecuted,

mistreated,

the world was not worthy of them.

They wandered about in deserts and mountains

and caves and holes in the ground,

and yet they clung to their faith in God.

And it says,

And they were all commended for their faith,

yet none of them received what had been promised.

God planned something better for us,

so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

In other words,

while we're here on earth,

God is doing a work in us,

but there's going to be a fullness,

a fulfillment of that work

at some time even in the future.

And that all comes together in Christ.

And so he starts chapter 12 by saying,

Since we have all of these examples,

all these witnesses,

let us throw off everything that hinders

and the sin that so easily entangles.

Now I'm not one to watch a lot of sports,

but you can't help but notice during the Olympics

the intensity of the competition.

Some of these competitors,

they win a medal by hundreds of a second.

And there is so much effort put into training,

and there is so much effort put into

the right kind of equipment.

If you're going to be a runner,

if you're going to be a cyclist,

if you're going to be a swimmer,

you have just the best of the equipment and gear

that is available.

And people spend a lot of time and effort

trying to design something that will give them

just that little bit of advantage

so that they can win their competition.

And so the scripture here is telling us,

throw off the things that hinder.

Throw off the sin that entangles us.

Put every effort into being the best competitor

that you can.

I noticed in these couple of verses,

there are, especially,

I'm using the New International Version of the Bible,

and there it says,

let us throw off.

Let us do this.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.

Let us.

When we were studying Spanish,

they told us that this type of construction

in Spanish was referred to as a command of courtesy.

So it carried the weight of a command,

but it wasn't done in a harsh way.

It was done in a way of saying,

let's join together and put our effort into doing this.

Let's see what we can accomplish together.

And so that's what I'm seeing here in scripture.

Let us throw off anything that entangles

and the sin that so easily,

anything that hinders and the sin

that so easily entangles us.

Now we know that sin is something

that the devil would like to use to distract us,

to keep us from serving God well.

And of course, temptation at the start

always looks great, doesn't it?

Temptation always looks attractive.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be temptation.

But here's what somebody has said,

Neil Strait has said about sin.

Sin does not serve well

as a gardener of the soul.

It landscapes the contour of the soul

until all that is beautiful

has been made ugly.

Until all that is high is made low.

Until all that is promising is wasted.

Then life is like the desert,

parched and barren.

It is drained of purpose.

It is bleached of happiness.

Sin then is not wise,

but wasteful.

It is not a gate,

but only a grave.

I think that's very insightful about sin.

And so it's important to throw that off

and get rid of it

so that we can run in freedom.

Another person has written this.

Because of sin,

mankind has taken the deity out of religion,

the supernatural out of Christianity,

the authority from the Bible,

God out of education,

morality and virtue out of literature,

beauty and truth out of art,

ethics out of business,

fidelity out of marriage.

Pretty true words.

So we need to throw that off.

The guilt,

the bondage,

the shame,

the hiding,

the deception.

Jesus has taken all of that sin upon himself.

Our past sin,

our present sin,

our future sin,

he's already paid for it.

It says in Isaiah chapter 53,

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

that all we like sheep have gone astray.

We have turned everyone to his own way

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

And then he also says in Isaiah chapter 1,

Isaiah 1:18

verse 18,

come now and let us reason together,

says the Lord,

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be white as snow.

Though they are red like crimson,

they shall be as wool.

If you are willing and obedient,

you will eat the best from the land.

So sin is there to destroy and distract us

and keep us from running that race with Christ.

But Jesus Christ has already paid the price.

So that is one of the let us.

The next let us

is in the end of Hebrews chapter 12,

Hebrews 12:1

verse 1,

which says,

let us run with perseverance

the race marked out for us.

Let us run with perseverance

the race marked out for us.

So in Hebrews,

the author,

the preacher,

has already been making a point.

And if we go through,

just,

let's just kind of review

a couple of verses.

He's making the point

about persevering.

He's making the point

about let us run with endurance.

So if we start in chapter 2,

and we'll just kind of glance

at a few verses

to give us this idea.

Chapter 2,

verse 1.

We must pay more careful attention,

therefore,

to what we have heard,

so that we do not drift away.

Now,

how often

is a failure

in the Christian life

catastrophic?

How often

does it come

as a big crisis?

Usually,

it shows up

as a crisis

after there has been

a drifting away.

There have been

thought patterns.

There have been

little actions.

There have been

little habits

that have been forming

that have been destructive,

that have been

undermining the faith.

And then comes

the big failure.

So the writer is saying,

be careful

that we,

to what we,

and listen to what we've heard.

Pay attention

to what we've heard,

so that we do not drift away.

Then in chapter 4,

he's talking about

the fact that

God wants

his people

to come to rest.

Jesus said,

you know,

all you that are weary

and heavy laden,

come to me,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon me,

and take up my yoke upon you,

and learn of me,

for I am meek

and lowly of heart,

and you will find

rest for your souls.

So in Hebrews chapter 4,

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

he's talking about that rest.

Therefore,

since the promise

of entering his rest

still stands,

let us be careful

that none of you

be found

to fall short of it.

And then later on

in that same chapter,

verse 11,

let us therefore

make every effort

to enter that rest

so that none will fall

by following their example

of disobedience.

So again,

he's talking about

enduring,

he's talking about

pursuing something

that is good.

Chapter 6,

the beginning of chapter 6,

talks about the fact

that even though

we should,

he's telling the people,

even though you should

already be the point

of being able to be

a teacher

and an instructor

and a leader of others,

you still need to be taught

the most elementary truths

of the gospel message.

And so he says

you need to show diligence.

Show diligence

to the very end

in order

to make your hope sure.

We don't want you

to become lazy,

but we want you

to imitate those

who through faith

and patience

inherit what has been promised.

In chapter 10,

verse 23 to 25,

let us hold unswervingly

to the hope we profess

for he who promised

is faithful.

And let us consider

how we may spur

one another on

toward love

and good deeds.

Let us not give up

meeting together

as some are in the habit

of doing,

but let us encourage

one another

and all the more

as you see

that day approaching.

So he's talking

about this perseverance.

He's talking about

enduring.

He's talking about

how we need

to run this race

let us run this race

with perseverance.

And then there's

another let us.

If we look at

chapter,

number,

verse 2,

let us fix

our eyes on Jesus.

Or as I mentioned,

the words that I saw

and used to see

in our little chapel

in Endeavor,

looking unto Jesus

is the King James

version of it.

Let us fix

our eyes on Jesus.

Now,

Hebrews chapter

Hebrews 12:2

12,

verse 2

in the Amplified Bible

reads like this.

Looking away

from all

that will distract us

to Jesus,

who is the leader

and the source

of our faith,

giving the first

incentive

for our belief

and is also

its finisher,

bringing it to maturity

and perfection.

He,

for the joy

of obtaining

the prize

that was set

before Him,

endured the cross,

despising

and ignoring

the shame

and is now

seated at the right

hand of the throne

of God.

And then

in 1 Peter chapter 2

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

it talks a little bit

more about

Jesus.

1 Peter chapter 2

1 Peter 2:21

verse 21

says,

To this you were called

because Christ

suffered for you,

leaving you an example

that you should follow

in His steps.

He committed no sin

and no deceit

was found in His mouth.

When they hurled

their insults at Him,

He did not retaliate.

When He suffered,

He made no threats.

Instead,

He entrusted Himself

to Him

who judges justly.

He Himself

bore our sins

in His body

on the tree

so that we might

die to sins

and live for righteousness.

By His wounds

you have been healed.

For you were like sheep

going astray,

but now you have returned

to the shepherd

and overseer

of your souls.

Let us fix

our eyes

on Jesus.

Now,

if you drive by

a farmer's field

nowadays,

what do you see?

You see really nice

straight lines

because

the machine

is guided

by GPS.

I remember

back in the days

when I first

worked for a farmer

and I was driving

this little

Fordson Major tractor

that,

wow,

it had all

of about 50 horsepower

and

the farmer

was pretty

insistent

that I try

to make the rows

as straight

as I could

so I wouldn't

miss cultivating

parts of the field

or it wouldn't

overlap too much.

So what did I do?

When I started out

at the end of the field,

I would pick a mark

at the far end

and I would aim

the tractor for that

because if I tried

to just follow

my track,

pretty soon

I was doing this

but if I had

a mark at the far end

and I kept

following it,

then I could

stay a little bit

straighter.

Nothing compared

to GPS now

but

it was better

if I did that

and that's the way

it is with our

walk with God.

If we fix

our eyes

on Jesus,

we can walk

and we can walk

toward him

and the distractions

won't have

such a big effect

on us.

So I just want

to mention

a couple of things

about looking

unto Jesus.

A farther look.

Let us fix

our eyes

on Jesus,

the author

and perfecter

of our faith,

who for the joy

set before him

endured the cross.

He didn't just

look at the cross

although it was

significant,

it was important.

He agonized

over it

in the Garden

of Gethsemane

but he looked

beyond it

and he said

the reward

of what is going

to be accomplished

if I am faithful

to the Father's plan

outweighs

the suffering

and the pain

of what I'm going

to endure.

So Jesus

had a farther look

even though

he begged God

if it be possible

may this cup

be taken from me

yet he endured

because

of what lay

before him.

What lay beyond that?

The power of sin

is broken.

A fallen groaning

creation

will be recreated.

The lost

will be found,

the broken

will be healed.

Paradise

will be regained.

Who for the joy

set before him

endured.

He took a farther look

and so

Hebrews encourages us

looking unto Jesus.

Take a farther look.

Look beyond

the immediate,

look beyond

the immediate trials,

the immediate temptations.

Look to Jesus

beyond that.

A higher look.

He endured

the cross

scoring his shame

and sat down

at the right hand

of the throne

of God.

A higher look.

So often

we look at

the circumstance

around us.

We look at

the immediate.

We need to look up

to Jesus.

Jesus.

All of this earth

is passing away.

Weeping may endure

for a night

but joy comes

in the morning.

What was true

for Jesus

is also true

for us.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4

reminds us of that.

It says

at the end

of the chapter,

therefore we do

not lose heart

though outwardly

we are wasting

weight yet inwardly

we are being

renewed day by day

for our light

and momentary

trouble.

Wait a minute.

Light and momentary

troubles?

Does it feel

that way some days?

Sometimes it feels

like the burdens

are pretty heavy.

But compared

to the weight

of eternity,

compared to the

weight of glory,

it is small.

It says

for our light

and who is writing

this?

Light and momentary

troubles.

The apostle Paul

right?

And in 2 Corinthians

he talks about

I've been shipwrecked.

I've been beaten.

I've been stoned.

I've been persecuted.

I've been chased

from pillar to post

because of my faith

in Jesus Christ.

He says

these are light

and momentary

troubles

in comparison

to what God

has planned for us.

For our light

and momentary

troubles

are achieving

for us

an eternal

glory

that far

outweighs

them all.

So we fix

our eyes

not on what

is seen

but what

is unseen

for what

is seen

is temporary

what is unseen

is eternal.

And so we have

a higher look.

Jesus said

when you see

all these things

happening

what is he?

Lift up your head

because your redemption

draws near.

And then a deeper look.

Verse 3 starts

consider him

who endured

such opposition

so that you will not

grow weary

and lose heart.

Consider.

think about

ponder

spend time

reflecting.

Now there is

a form of

worldly meditation

that says

just empty your mind

and be open

to whatever

thoughts may come.

Well it's no wonder

there's confusion

in the devil's

playground.

But there is

a godly form

of meditation

that means

literally

chew the cud

on God's word.

Whatever is true

noble

pure

right

lovely

admirable

excellent

praiseworthy

think on

these things

and the God

of peace

will be with you.

Consider

a farther look

beyond the immediate

a higher look

to all that God

has prepared for us

the eternal weight

of glory

a deeper look

spend time

pondering

who Jesus is

and what he has done.

And then

it says

in Hebrews

Hebrews 12:12

chapter 12

verse 12

therefore

strengthen

your feeble

arms

and your weak

knees

make level

paths

of your feet

so that

what is

lamed

may not

be disabled

but rather

healed.

That is

God's plan

for us.

Not fearful

not anxious

but boldly

confident

not faltering

but thriving.

And what's

at stake?

our eternal

well-being

is at stake.

God's

honor

is at stake.

People

look at us

and they say

they form

their opinion

of God

by what they

see in us.

That's a pretty

heavy responsibility.

If we had to try

and do that

on our own

it'd be hopeless.

But the Holy Spirit

is in us

to empower us

to show

the image

of Christ.

Jesus said

let your

light shine

such a way

before men

that men

will see

your good deeds

and glorify

your Father

who is in heaven.

And we will

have an influence

on others.

If we faithfully

walk with God

fixing your eyes

on Jesus

our life

will be an example

to others.

It will be an

encouragement

to others.

And praise God

that's what you

as a congregation

are to me.

When I spend time

here interacting

with you

you're an

encouragement

to me

and I bless

you for that.

And I praise

God for that.

And I trust

that I will be

the same for you

as I serve him.

May God bless you

as you continue

to serve him

faithfully.

And I'd like

to just

invite us

to close

with a word

of prayer.

Father in heaven

it is just

such a great

privilege

to belong

to you.

To know

that because

of what

Jesus Christ

has done

I can come

to you

with confidence

and with boldness

and obtain

the grace

and the mercy

that I need

to help me

in time of

trouble.

I thank you

Lord God

that we have

the freedom

to meet together

in this land

that we have

the freedom

to have your

word in our

hands

that we can

read

we can

study

we can

learn

we can

encourage one

another

we can teach

one another

the truths

that we have

learned from you

and I thank you

Lord that you are

the one that gives

us a healthy

perspective on life.

there are many

things in life

that are important

that we pay

attention to

we pay attention

to our work

and to our

families

and to our

daily responsibilities

but we recognize

Lord that these

are all things

that pass

away with

time

and the only

thing that we'll

endure for all

eternity is

our

relationship

with you

and our

relationship with

others that have

come to know you

and are part of

your family

and so I pray

Lord that you

would help us

as we look to

Jesus

to simplify

the things of

our life in

such a way

that we are

not distracted

from doing

what is most

important

loving you

with all of our

heart

with all of our

soul

with all of our

mind

with all of our

strength

and loving our

neighbor

as ourself

we know we

can't do it on

our own

and so we

depend on your

grace

we depend on you

living your life

through us

and we thank you

Lord that you've

promised to

not just begin a

work in us

but to bring it

to completion

until the day

of Jesus Christ

we praise you

in his wonderful

holy name

amen

amen