2024-09-29 Sermon Notes - Daniel Lyons' Notes

type:
  - "[[Sermon Notes|Sermon Notes]]"
speaker: "[[Archibald Allison]]"
date: 2024-09-29
location: "[[Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church]]"
passage: "[[Heb-12#v1|Hebrews 12:1-]]"
sermon series:
sermon link:
subjects:
title: Running the Race Looking to Jesus
takeaways:
publish: true

💡Big Idea

Takeaways and Next Steps

📖Bible Passage

Hebrews 12: 1-2

Therefore let's also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let's run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Points

Hebrews is written to Jewish Christians who were being persecuted.
- The author says that these Christians were to afraid of man, and not afraid enough of God.
What these Christians were experiencing, is not unlike what is happening to Christians today.
- There are pastors imprisoned simply for preaching the truth found in the Bible.
- Hebrews repeatedly tells Christians to persevere through the adversity.
Keep running. Don't stop running.
- Like a marathon runner, we must continue running the race.
- This is easier said than done. For we face many problems:
  - We get discouraged
  - Tired
  - Distracted
But how do we keep running? Hebrews provides two answers. One is positive and the other is negative:
- 1. "lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us,"
  - Perhaps there is something that consumes you, and draws you away from God?
    - Spending too much time browsing the internet. Shopping. Working
    - Unbelief.
    - Sin:
      - All sin is against God.
      - Sin is spiritual insanity.
      - Romans 6:11 "consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God"
        
        Shut the door on every known sin and
        
        pray against even your unknown sins.
      - John Bunyan: Most sins enter through either our ears or our eyes.
        
        Cut yourself off from access to temptations.
      - Martin Luther said to Satan: "Devil, you have the wrong address. My head is in Heaven. If you want to get to me, then you have to get to Him, and you cannot reach Him. So be gone Satan."
- 1. "looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith"
  - When you run a race, you should never look behind.
  - When you turn behind, and look at those behind you, you will run slower and that might cost you the race.
  - Jesus is the prize at the end of the race.
  - Jesus is our coach, encouraging and leading us.
  - Look to Jesus
    - through the Bible
    - through the means of grace.
How do you get motivated to keep running the race?
- This is an important question in any sport, even in our daily exercise.
  - It is easy to lose motivation in fitness, and this is true spiritually as well.
- There are 2 motivations for us
  - 1. Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. And he motivates us in 4 ways.
    - 1. He endured the cross.
      - Shouldn't that motivate us to live for Him? Shouldn't we say, "If he carried that big cross for me, can I not carry a little cross for Him"?
      - Remember that He endured the direct wrath of God.
    - 1. We are motivated by what Jesus rejoiced in:
      - "Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross
      - Jesus said to the thief on the cross "Surely you will be with me in paradise." Jesus joyed in this. In pleasing His Father. In reuniting with Him in Heaven. In saving God's people.
      - The best is yet to come.
    - 1. We should be motivated by what Jesus despised.
      - Jesus despised the shame of the cross.
        
        Jesus had to endure people mocking Him while on the cross. To be defamed, and falsely ridiculed.
      - This ought to motivate us.
    - 1. "He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
      - Jesus sits at God's right hand always there to intercede for us:
        
        What does this mean? It means that Jesus is constantly pleading your case to God the Father, doing this for each of God's people.
        
        Jesus is constantly remembering and regarding you every moment of every day.
  - 1. We are also motivated by the saints:
    - "Therefore let's also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses"
      - the saints of the Old testament: (Hebrews 11)
      - The saints of the New testament
      - The saint throughout church history:
        
        Pastors and theologians throughout history
        
        Martin Luther: Most of my best friends are dead. I read their words in the books on my shelf.
        
        Remember the Christians in your life.
        
        Your parents, family members.
        
        Fellow believers in your church.

Application

Further Study

💬Discussion Questions

2024-09-29 Sermon Notes

Interactive graph

On this page