Keep Breathing Series

On April 24, 1997, Alec Holden of Great Britain turned 90. On that day, he placed the equivalent of a $200 bet in British pounds that he would live to be a hundred. A betting company had placed Holden’s odds at 250 to 1; so on April 24, 2007, when he turned a hundred, he collected on his bet the equivalent of $50,000 in British pounds.

Holden, who worked as both a teacher and a carpenter through much of his life, credited porridge as his number one source of survival. He also confessed that in the days leading up to the big payoff, he was “very careful” and “frequently reminded himself ‘to keep breathing.’” (Associated Press, “Bet on century wins £25,000,” www.guardian.co.uk, 4-24-07, and “Good Week for Incentives,” The Week, 5-4-07, p. 8; www.PreachingToday.com)

Sometimes life gets so hard, you have to remind yourself to “keep breathing” just to keep going

So what do you do during those times? What do you do defeat the kind of discouragement that sometimes takes your breath away? What do you do to keep on going when you feel like quitting, so you can experience the “big payoff” at the end? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Hebrews 10, Hebrews 10, where we have the core, the summary paragraph, of this whole book addressed to discouraged believers, to people who are tempted to give up their faith in Christ because the hardships they are experiencing.

Hebrews 10:19-20 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh… (ESV)

If you want to defeat discouragement, then…

REMEMBER JESUS.

Recall to your mind what He has done and who He is.

Remember, 1st of all, that Jesus opened up a way for you to God. He made it possible for you to enjoy the very presence of your Heavenly Father.

Under the old way, only one man, once a year, could enter into the presence of God. That man was the High Priest, who on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) would wash himself completely, then enter the holiest of holy places in the Temple. There he met with God behind a thick veil, beyond which nobody else could go.

Then Jesus died on the cross, and that veil was ripped in two – from top to bottom. His broken body and shed blood opened a way for all of us at any time to be in the very presence of God Himself.

William Frey, retired Episcopal bishop from Colorado, talks about a time when he volunteered to read to a college student named John who was blind. One day Frey asked him, “How did you lose your sight?”

“A chemical explosion,” John said, “at the age of thirteen.”

“How did that make you feel?” Frey asked him.

“Life was over,” John responded. “I felt helpless. I hated God. For the first six months I did nothing to improve my lot in life. I would eat all my meals alone in my room. One day my father entered my room and said, ‘John, winter's coming and the storm windows need to be up – that's your job. I want those hung by the time I get back this evening or else!’

“Then he turned, walked out of the room and slammed the door.” John says, “I got so angry. I thought Who does he think I am? I'm blind! I was so angry I decided to do it. I felt my way to the garage, found the windows, located the necessary tools, found the ladder, all the while muttering under my breath, ‘I'll show them. I'll fall, then they'll have a blind and paralyzed son!’”

John continued, “I got the windows up. I found out later that never at any moment was my father more than four or five feet away from my side.” (William Frey, “When Words Come To an End,” Message delivered at Beeson Divinity School, Birmingham, Alabama, July 2003; www.PreachingToday.com)

As a believer in Christ, you are in your Heavenly Father’s presence at all times, even when He seems far away. That’s what Jesus did for you!

So when you get discouraged, don’t forget it! Remember that Jesus has provided direct access to God through a new a better way described in Hebrews 8-10.

Then 2nd, remember that Jesus is your great High Priest. In fact, He is a better high priest than any other priest or minister.

Hebrews 10:21 …and since we have a great priest over the house of God… (ESV)

That's what Hebrews 1-7 is all about. Jesus is God Himself – who became one of us to suffer with us. He sacrificed Himself on the cross for our sins; and now, He lives to intercede and pray for us all the time! That’s what a priest does – He makes sacrifices and He prays – and Jesus is the best!