Reflections for the Season
“Since then we have a great high priest Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest Who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One Who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace in time of need.” – Hebrews 4:14-16
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” -- Hebrews 12:1-2
Gracelife Family,
What beautiful truths are revealed in these sections recorded in Hebrews! What they hold in common is an affirmation that we are not alone as followers of Jesus. We need these reminders as we can often become discouraged and feel defeated as we seek to live out our faith. We can find encouragement in our knowledge that our own spiritual journey is part of a greater story that has been being written by the Lord throughout the history of mankind. The author of Hebrews brings this fact to light in his reference to the “cloud of witnesses” which surround us. Some of these “cloud of witnesses” are specifically highlighted in Hebrews 11. Many of them, we would consider to be true heroes of the faith. Others of them, we might be shocked that they would be included in the list at all. However, upon closer inspection, what becomes abundantly clear is that all of them were far from perfect. Perhaps, that brings some comfort to know that our qualification to be participants in the Christian life is not based on our performance or inner strength.
The calling we receive at the opening of Hebrews 12 is that we are to persevere “with endurance” as we seek to follow Jesus on the specific path that the Lord has ordained for us. Part of this mission requires a sincere vulnerability and honesty in our willingness to identify and address those things in our lives which interfere with our success. We are to recognize “every weight” which distracts us and ultimately gets in the way of our consistency in walking with the Lord. This can include any number of things ranging from prioritizing our careers to our hobbies and outlets of entertainment to perhaps even our relationships with friends and family. Furthermore, we must take careful inventory of the “sin which clings closely” and can take control preventing us from making any progress in our spiritual maturing. These are matters that we must treat with the greatest urgency. We are instructed to “lay them aside”. Another way of translating this is to “throw off” or “get rid of”.
This task of perseverance is not something that we can accomplish on our own. Thankfully, the author of Hebrews provides us with the very prescription we need. The key is for us to “look to Jesus”. This is not intended to be a quick, passing glance but a focused fixation on Jesus. We primarily look to Jesus and encounter His glory through the truth of His Word. We are to continually do so, because He is worthy of receiving all of our attention. Jesus has secured a great salvation for us through His death and resurrection. Not only that, but He is identified here as “the founder and perfecter of our faith”. Jesus not only serves as the perfect example of what enduring faith looks like but also is the source enabling us to maintain our trust in Him until our faith one day becomes sight and we will finally see Him face-to-face.
As I wrap up, I want to draw our attention quickly to the reading from Hebrews 4. What it holds in common with the opening of chapter 12 is a reminder to us that Jesus is presently in heaven at the right hand of the Father. While we might long to be with Him now, we can be thankful that in Jesus we have an Advocate Who provides us with the support of His ample mercy and grace in our struggle to persevere in our faith. Our temptation is to want to shut down and give up when we fail, assuming that all hope is lost. However, these verses challenge us to keep drawing near to Jesus through prayer time and time again with the confidence that we will never be rejected and will receive all of the help in our time of need. What a blessing to know that Jesus fully understands our struggle and doesn’t condemn us for it.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Keith