Text: Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV
Now, one of the reasons why we fail, why we give up on God, give up on our faith, give up on our goals or our dreams is because we missed out a very important piece of information that the writer of Hebrew calls “RUN WITH ENDURANCE” I see, a lot of us read the scripture & glazed over those 3 words as though they don’t matter but i want you to know that they do… and so my 4 points in this sermon will be explaining what these 3 words mean, But before i do that i want to talk to you about this great crowd of witnesses in the text. The text says, that there is a great crowd of witnesses cheering us on as we run the race of faith. In fact, this verse is a verse that has inspired many believers through out the years & was written as a source of encouragement when they felt paralyzed or intimidated by their circumstances. And so, Let me remind you my brothers and sisters that no matter what you face in life, that this incredible crowd of witnesses have been through them and have overcome them. 1 corinthians 10:13 says, No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability…
Now, If you’re not sure who this incredible crowd of witnesses were. In Hebrews 11 they were nicknamed as the hall of faith. People like Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses & Rehab…..etc… They have done it & they believe that you can do it too…& that is why they are your crowd of witnesses…
And so, no matter what you are going through, you can endure it if you keep in mind 4 radical things …
1). A realistic picture of the road ahead. Roman’s 7:15-20
2). We need to replace performance and pressure with forgiveness and freedom. colossians 1:22; Galatians 5:1
3). We need to look to Christ continuously. Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 5:8, Matthew 28:20
4). Always remember that God
sees stuff in you that you may not see in yourself. Hebrews 12: 13-14, Psalm 139:1-4; Isaiah 43:2; Psalm 139:12