1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne. 3Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. 4After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
Hebrews 12:1-4
Why fix your eyes on Jesus?
I am sure you can think of many reasons. Just ponder for a moment all that the writer of Hebrews has told us thus far. Following the examples within the community of faith in Rome among the Jewish followers of Jesus (Heb 10:32 ff), the author of Hebrews then took us through the heroes and heroines of faith (Hebrews 11). From those examples he turned to those who had suffered for their faith. Then he reminded us of the fact that they are all part of a mega-cloud of witnesses or examples for us to follow. But don’t forget the one supreme example of all. Jesus, Son of God, the author and perfecter of our faith.
Don’t forget that one of the theme words of Hebrews is [teleioō] to complete, to perfect.
- God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation. Hebrews 2:10
- In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. Hebrews 5:9
- For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God. Hebrews 7:19
- This is a symbol which points to the present time. It means that the offerings and animal sacrifices presented to God cannot make the worshiper’s heart perfect, Hebrews 9:9-10
- The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.
- If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. Hebrews 10:1-2
- For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. Hebrews 10:14
- For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. Hebrews 11:40
- You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. Hebrews 12:23
How do we run this race God has set before us with endurance?
By fixing our eyes on Jesus the [ἀρχηγός – archēgos] and the [τελειωτής – teleiōtēs] of our faith.
- the author and the perfector of faith
- the originator and the completor of faith
- the pioneer and the finisher of faith
- the initiator and the sealer of faith
- the source and the goal of faith
- the author and the final editor of faith
- the beginning and the end of faith
The word used for “looking to Jesus” in verse 2 is not suggesting we give Him an occasional glance or look to him now and again. The sense of [aphoraō] is to take your eyes off all else and lock your gaze on Jesus. Whatever else may be going on, no matter how bad things are, turn your eyes on Jesus, look full in His face and those other things will fade away. The best example of this is Stephen.
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honour at God’s right hand!” Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.
Acts 7:55-58
If you keep reading you will see Stephen’s gaze was still locked on Jesus, giving him a standing ovation for the strength of his faith.
Why would the author of Hebrews urge us to fix our eyes on Jesus? SImply because the whole of the letter to the Hebrews had been written to inform the Jewish Christians facing Nero’s persecution not to forsake Jesus Christ, son of God, the One who is greater than all else. Don’t turn back to Judaism and the Law. Hang on to Jesus.
- He is greater than all the prophets.
- He is the fulfilment of all the prophets promised and prophesied.
- He is the only way to attaining salvation.
- He is greater than the angels and any high priest.
- He is the best example you can get of perseverance under suffering.
- Jesus is our ever present help in times of trouble.
- He knows what you need before you even ask.
- He knows you by name and even has all the hairs on your head numbered at any point in time.
- He is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient.
- Jesus is the only way to finding the salvation of God through the righteousness that only Jesus can bestow on you.
- His is the only name under heaven by which you can be saved.
- The ONLY SAVIOUR of a similar kind [allos] (Acts 4:12)
- The ONLY SAVIOUR of a different kind [heteros]. (Acts 4:12)
I just have to add one more thing. I can’t miss the opportunity to add this timely reading from Rick Renner which arrived today, the very day that in Auckland we are awaiting the mega-storm after two storms in the last fortnight which flooded the city and left 277 homes red stickered (forbidden entry; too dangerous) and 1,615 homes yellow stickered (can move back only when declared habitable). Today I received from Rick Renner the reading for February 12th sent from the US, a reading I received the day after (13th) with the title He’s Still the Lord of the Wind and the Waves! (See the Comments section below). If you live in Auckland or anywhere else in the world and you would like me to send you this reading by email just let me know.
What incredible timing; Thank you LORD JESUS.
You can’t control everything. Sometimes you just need to relax and have faith that it will work out.
Efva Adryana
There isn’t enough room in your mind for worry and faith. You must decide which one will live there.
Ian
Faith in God includes faith in His timing!
Kong Hee
Keep calm and read your Bible.
Deeper Bible Shirt
send me the link please Ian.
He’s Still the Lord of the Wind and the Waves!
And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full…. And He [Jesus] arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
— Mark 4:37,39
Anytime you are on the front lines of battle doing something significant for the Kingdom of God, the enemy’s attacks against your life will escalate. I’m not telling you this to scare you, but to mentally equip you. That way when the attacks come, you won’t be taken by surprise!
Being mentally prepared for a spiritual attack is very important. If you are familiar with the devil’s tactics, his assaults won’t take you off guard or by surprise when they intensify against you. You’ll be able to recognize and resist every demonic attack, rejoicing in the Lord because you know what’s happening.
Jesus came under this kind of intense attack when He was crossing the Sea of Galilee with His disciples on His way to cast a legion of demons out of the demoniac of Gadara. This demon-possessed man was an important weapon in Satan’s arsenal. Through the actions of the demoniac of Gadara, the devil had held the countryside hostage with fear for a very long time. The demoniac was so legendary that people throughout the entire coastland region knew of him.
The devil knew that if Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee that night and reached the other side, He would cast the demons out of that man. When that happened, Satan would lose the weapon he had long used to terrorize the whole countryside.
So as Jesus and His disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee that night, violent and destructive winds seemed to come from out of nowhere to capsize Jesus’ boat and drown Him and His disciples in the middle of the sea. Mark 4:37 says, “And there arose a great storm of wind….”
The phrase “there arose” is taken from the Greek word ginomai, which in this case describes something that happens unexpectedly or something that catches one off-guard. This plainly tells us that Jesus and His disciples did not expect bad weather that night. The Greek word ginomai emphatically means that this event completely took the disciples by surprise.
To let us know the size of this storm, Mark uses the Greek word mega, which denotes something of massive proportions. It is where we get the idea of mega-bills, mega-work, and megaphone. Because Mark uses the word mega, it alerts us to the fact that this was a mega-storm with mega-winds!
The word “wind” is the Greek word lalaipsi, which means this was a turbulent or terribly violent wind. This word can also be translated hurricane, cyclone, tempest, gale, windstorm, a furious tempest, or a fierce squall. Therefore, we know the storm that came against Jesus that night was no small breeze. It was a formidable, crushing, overpowering type of storm.
One very important fact must be pointed out: This was a windstorm. There is no mention of rain at all because this was a storm of wind.Jesus and His disciples could feel its effects as the wind blew against them and their boat. They could see the raging waves that were tossed to and fro by this violent wind. However, the windstorm that had come to overturn their boat in the middle of Sea of Galilee and to kill them before they reached the other side was invisible.
The Greek words in Mark 4:37 gives this idea:
“And suddenly and unexpectantly — as if it came from out of nowhere — there arose a gale of wind. It was a ferocious tempest with winds that were terribly violent, turbulent, and overpowering.…”
Here was Jesus — on the brink of one of the greatest miracles of His ministry. At the same time, there was the devil, fearing that he was about to lose one of his most highly prized weapons of terrorism. It was at this exact moment that this violent, destructive turbulence came down upon Jesus and His disciples.
The occurrence of the storm at this exact moment was no accident. The devil didn’t want Jesus to reclaim one of his most prized captives. This was a preemptive strike of the devil to undo the work of God.
But that night in the midst of the storm, Jesus arose and took authority over the situation. The Bible says that when He exercised His authority over this unseen turbulence, “…the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). In doing this, Jesus demonstrated that He was the Lord of the wind and the waves. This potentially deadly situation provided a great opportunity for the disciples to learn that Jesus Christ is truly Lord over all!
Rest assured — Satan will certainly try to attack you with unexpected turbulence from time to time. His attacks against you will probably escalate whenever you’re right on the edge of a breakthrough, as was the case with Jesus that night. But just as that event provided an opportunity for Jesus to demonstrate His power and authority, you need to see each demonic attack against you as an opportunity to rise up, take authority, and demonstrate who you are in Jesus Christ!
Mentally and spiritually prepare yourself to deal with the devil’s attacks. Put on the whole armor of God. Rise up and take authority in Jesus’ name over the wind and the waves that come against you and your family. Never forget that this is your golden opportunity to see a demonstration of God’s power in your life!
Sparkling gems from the Greek I – February 12th
My Prayer for Today
Lord, thank You for teaching me that Satan often attacks right when I’m on the verge of a major breakthrough. This knowledge helps me so much because it causes me to recognize that Satan loves to make all hell break loose in my life just before a big victory. Now that I know this, please help me keep this in mind when a turbulent wind blows into my life. Help me to look at that storm and say, “I know that the devil must be upset; otherwise, he wouldn’t be messing with me right now. I must be right on track with God!” With this understanding, I will keep pressing ahead, regardless of what I see, feel, or hear.
How timely. Praying asking my Lord to keep Jacqui in Whitianga safe as this mega storm rages. Thankyou. Val ackland.
Praying with you Val for Jacqui and others on the Coromandel which has been and still is being hit hard by cyclone Gabrielle. The Coromandel is completely cut off at the moment for all roading access.
Wow that’s amazing right now. As I sit on a couch at 0145am in Christchurch praying for loved ones enduring Gabriel up in Auckland where I can’t get to.
Kev
Yes the timing of this reading from Rick Renner is God ordained to say the least. Perfect for the situation we are facing across NZ at this time and a wonderful indicator to me that the focus on ‘Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus’ at this time is what is needed. Of course the ramifications are far more wide ranging that just in the context of the current cyclone. As this weather event has proved, there are some fundamental questions which need to be addressed.