(adapted from messages by Melvin Newland and Dave Stone)
SERIES: “DISCOVER VISION: SEEING WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO SEE”
TEXT: HEBREWS 12:2-3
TITLE: “WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?”
OPEN: A. A blind man walks into a grocery store led by his seeing-eye dog. He goes to the middle of the
store, picks the dog up over his head, and begins swinging the dog around in a circle by its leash.
The store manager sees what’s happening and thinks it’s really strange behavior. He walks over
to the blind man and asks, “Pardon me, sir. May I help you find something?”
The blind man says, “No thanks. I’m just looking around.”
B. Several weeks ago, we started a new series: “Discover Vision: Seeing What God Wants You to
See”
1. The first message was “Eyes Wide Open”
--an introductory message on vision with an overview of what I understand God’s vision to be
for this congregation
a. We learned that as we walk in this world, sometimes we are spiritually blind
--We miss what God wants us to see
b. Helen Keller: “The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no
vision.”
2. Last week’s message was “Seeing Through the Lens of Faith”
--we miss much of what God is wanting us to see when we fail to see through that lens of faith
3. Today’s message is: “What Are You Looking At?”
--Heb. 12:1-3 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us
throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with
perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter
of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat
down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from
sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
C. Have you ever wondered why a pigeon walks so funny?
--Here’s what a news article from several years ago said about the subject
1. There’s a very good reason why a pigeon bobs or moves its head when walking
--He does it so that he can see as clearly as possible
a. Because the pigeon’s eyes are located on the side of his head, he can see a large section of the
visual scene
--He can see an area of over 300 degrees without moving
b. This “surround” vision has a disadvantage
--objects nearby move faster than objects further away (which can be very confusing)
c. To preserve its visual acuity, the pigeon walks in what appears to be a weird way
1). As the pigeon walks, it locks its head in position while it moving its body beneath it
2). At the last possible moment, just like a pirouetting ballerina holds her head in one place to
avoid becoming dizzy, the pigeon thrusts its head forward to the next “lock” position
2. That’s how the bird minimizes the effects of its visual disadvantage when it walks enables him to
keep a “birds-eye” view on his world.
D. There are many things that we can focus our vision on:
1. There are the things of this world
2. There are the things of heaven
3. There are things that we think are important
4. There are things that God thinks is important
5. There are many things that just simply distract us from the most important sight object of all
--Jesus Christ
a. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will
grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
b. If our eyes are on anything but Jesus, we’ll be distracted and never really see what God wants
us to see
I. LOOK TO JESUS FOR OUR PURPOSE
A. The writer of Hebrews refers to “a great cloud of witnesses”
1. Chapter 12 starts with the word “therefore”
a. Of course, that means you should see what its there for
--It’s an indication that the writer is referring back to something just talked about
b. What is talked about in Chapter 11 is the great “hall of faith”
--those Old Testament heroes of the faith that teach us so much about seeing through the lens of
faith
2. For some reason we have been confused
--we’ve pictured all of these heroes of the faith mentioned in this passage as well as other heroes of the
faith who lived after them all sitting in a coliseum watching us run the race for Christ and cheering
us on in that race
a. However, Eccl. 9:5-6 tells us:
b. What happens “under the sun” is what happens here on earth
c. Those who have left this earth have no part in this life anymore.
--They don’t know what’s going on in our lives
3. The actual teaching here concerns the witness of these heroes of the faith to us
--Their faith was predicated on the faithfulness of God in keeping His promises to them.
a. Abraham
1). Who was led by God to move to a land of promise and believe that would make his descendents
more plentiful than the stars in the sky – even though he and his wife were old and beyond the
years of producing children. When he did have a child God asked him to sacrifice that son
2). Can you hear Abraham’s testimony for us today: “If you follow God, the world will probably
think that you’re crazy because God’s ways are not their ways. But listen carefully to what He
tells you, follow in His steps, be true to His will, and you’ll find great blessings.”
b. Noah
1). Who spent 120 years of his life building an ark (when he was VERY old)
2). Can you hear Noah’s testimony for us today: “So, God’s not moving fast enough for you? Are
you sick and tired of waiting? It took me 120 years to build the ark. People ridiculed me and
said, ‘Are you sure you really heard God? Maybe you just heard someone else.’ I tried to warn
them of the judgment that was coming, but no one would listen. So I kept on building and when
the floods came the ark became the vehicle of our salvation.”
c. Joseph
1). Who was sold into slavery by his brothers and carried into Egypt. There he was accused of a
crime he did not commit and thrown into prison. Yet, he remained true to God and then the
tables are turned. He becomes Prime Minister of Egypt and has control of money, food, and
people. Still, he’s faithful
2). Can you hear Joseph’s testimony for us today: “It doesn’t take much to be faithful when things
are going your way. But when you’re at the bottom and everything seems to be falling apart,
God is still faithful so you remain faithful.”
d. Also listed in Chapt. 11 is Moses and Samuel and Samson and David and many others
1). Their purpose came through God’s promises
2). Majority of God’s promises in the Old Testament dealt with One who would come to save His
people from their sins
--The promise that life is tough but that God would provide the One who would make the
sorrows of this life sufferable because we would find the joy of forgiveness and everlasting life
B. Our purpose comes through our promise
1. The promise we have is forgiveness of sins and eternal life through Jesus Christ
2. Our purpose is to share the love of Jesus with everyone around us
3. Anything that moves the focus of our vision from that purpose leads us into destruction and death
II. LOOK TO JESUS FOR OUR PERSISTENCE
A. In just a few weeks, the spectacle of the Olympics will dominate our televisions
1. Our nation’s athletes will compete with the athletes of other nations to determine who is the best in
different events
a. The Olympics began in 776 B.C. at the base of Mt. Olympia
--It continued until 394 A.D.
b. Several groups tried to resurrect this grand group of events but failed
c. Finally, in 1896 someone said, “Why don’t we do this as an effort for world peace?”
--Different nations began to buy into that concept and said, “Let’s do it. Where will we have
them?” They went back to the starting place, Athens, Greece.
d. Four years ago, the Olympics were again held in Athens and this year they’re being held in Beijing,
China
2. Here’s something funny about the original Olympics
--It was just one event: a footrace
a. People would gather in a coliseum that held 40,000 people to watch one race
-- It was a little shorter than two hundred meters.
b. Eventually they added some other foot races.
--They also added wrestling and chariot racing and then it began to grow from there.
B. The writer of Hebrews draws an analogy between the Christian life and a footrace
--How do runners train to run races?
1. “Throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles
a. Runners diet so that they will weigh as little as possible
1). It’s tough on your joints and your organs when you try to run and weigh more than you should
2). Extra body weight hinders your performance: you can’t run as fast or as long when you have
extra body weight
3). A woman called her gym because she wanted to sign up for an aerobics class. The employee
said, “Show up Saturday morning at nine o’clock, bring ten dollars and wear loose fitting
clothing.”
The lady said, “Ma’am, if I had loose fitting clothing I wouldn’t need the aerobics class!”
b. Runners have specially designed clothing
1). Their shirts, shorts, socks and shoes are designed to be tough but as lightweight as possible
2). They don’t want even an ounce of extra weight because they know it will be a disadvantage to
them in the race
--In fact, in the ancient Olympics, the runners many times ran naked
3). Runners wear the least amount of clothing as possible
--You don’t want anything that will trip you up and hinder your performance
C. How does that apply to the Christian life?
--there are lots of things that hinder the running of the Christian life
1. Worldliness
2. Unforgiveness
3. Worry
4. Selfishness
5. Stubbornness
6. Indifference
7. And I’m sure a host of other things
D. How about how it applies to our vision as a church?
--those same things apply
1. Worldliness
2. Unforgiveness
3. Worry
4. Selfishness
5. Stubbornness
6. Indifference
7. Disunity
D. The problem is that we want the race to be done and over with
1. However, the race we enter as Christians is not a sprint but a long-distance run
a. “let us run the race with perseverance…”
b. Gordon MacDonald, a Christian writer: Running track in my prep school days taught me a
valuable lesson. I was at the Pennsylvania Relays, a famous Eastern track meet, and our relay team
was going to run in the championship race. I was the leadoff man and in the second lane. The man
in the first lane held the one hundred-meter dash record for prep school runners. He also held a
record for arrogance.
When I got to the line and we were putting our starting blocks down, he said, “May the best
man win. I’ll be waiting for you at the finish line.” We went into the blocks. The gun sounded.
He took off, and the other seven of us settled in behind him. We went around the first turn and
down the backstretch. About one hundred and eighty meters into the race, I suddenly saw the
record holder in front of me, holding his side, bent over, and groaning as he jogged along.
We all passed him like he was standing still. Because I’m such a gentleman, I waited for him at
the finish line! At the end of the race my coach took me aside. He said, “I hope you’ve learned a
lesson today. It makes little difference whether you hold the record for the one hundred-meter
dash if the race is four hundred-meters long.”
2. We’re told that the course is going to be tough
--Mt. 7:13-14 – “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to
destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life,
and only a few find it.”
3. Even though long and tough, the course is clearly laid out
a. “…run with perseverance the race marked out for us”
b. Mike Delcavo participated in the NCAA cross-country championship several years ago held in
Riverside, California. There were one hundred and twenty-eight runners. It was a ten thousand-
meter course. About half way through he began waving for fellow runners to follow him. He
turned off to the side and they laughed at him.
Out of one hundred and twenty-eight runners only four others followed him. Guess what? He
knew the course. He went the right way. The other one hundred and twenty-three were
disqualified.
He was asked later, “What was it like for you?” He said, “They thought it was funny that I
went the right way and they laughed at me."
--There is a lesson in there for us.
1). Following the crowd doesn’t necessarily lead you in the right direction.
--Others may allow popular opinion or the media or their own selfish desires to dictate the
direction in which they run.
2). But our goal is to run correctly and to finish the race marked out for us by Christ so that we will
not be disqualified of the prize.
III. LOOK TO JESUS FOR OUR PRIZE
--“ Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him
endured the Cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God.”
A. Jesus must be the focal point and the One we look to for guidance, direction and help.
1. We are to run this race with no eyes for any one or anything except Jesus.
--Don’t focus on those running beside you but on what’s in front of you.
a. In horse racing they focus on the poles
b. In swimming they focus on the wall
c. In basketball they focus on the hoop
d. In baseball they focus on the ball,
e. In running you focus on the finish line.
2. Christians must keep focus on Jesus.
--Do you know why?
a. If we are looking toward Him if we continue to change our habits we might start to resemble Him
as well.
b. People just might see Jesus in us.
B. Dale Mowery, music minister at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY attended a
conference several years ago in which he was able to hear a top executive from Disneyworld. The man
related how several years ago through exit surveys they found that some families were leaving the
theme park disappointed. They couldn’t understand it until they found a common thread. Here it was,
all the people who left disgruntled said they had come to see one person. All day long they had not
crossed paths with him and so they left disappointed.
Do you know who it was? That’s it! You got it. They came to see Mickey but they couldn’t find
him.
The people who ran Disney said, “Well of course not. We are not going to put a whole lot of
Mickey’s around. If a kid is riding on a tram and sees Mickey over there and Mickey over here it will
freak him out.”
So they tried to think of what they could come up with. So do you know what they did? At noon
every day of the week there is a parade that goes down Main Street with you-know-who serving as
Grand Marshal. Now anybody who wants to see Mickey Mouse can see him. Now people leave the
park happy and content because of whom they saw.
Let me tell you something. There are folks in our world and in our community who are spiritually
hungry. They come into this church searching for someone. They come into your house and your
neighborhood looking for someone.
They may not realize it but they are looking for Jesus Christ. You might be the only Christ they
see. Make certain that when they leave they are inspired because they have seen Jesus.
CLOSE: Some of you are old enough to remember back in 1976 the Olympics. There was a gymnast from the Soviet Union who did one routine and scored a perfect ten. Her name was Nadia Comaneci.
Every judge and every one of us who saw her routine said the same thing, “She NAILED it”! She did nail it.
The result was a perfect ten, which was unheard of in a competition when out of the seven judges they throw out the highest and the lowest score. That means it was all seven’s. A perfect ten, flawless perfect in the eyes of the judges for a two minute time period.
I wonder how many little girls were inspired to be a gymnast because of that moment. But may I remind you of one whose perfection lasted for a tad longer than two minutes. His perfection spanned thirty-three years. When it came to living a perfect life, He NAILED it!
But then they NAILED Him. They nailed Him to a tree where he would hang for six hours and in so doing His blood would cover over the sins of those who would commit their life to Him.
I don’t know about you, but Jesus is my inspiration.
You may be tempted to head back for the comfort of the couch but the Cross compels us to stay the course just as Christ endured the Cross.
Hebrews 12:2 says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the JOY set before Him endured the Cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Did you see that phrase, “FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM endured the Cross.”
Tim Keller, who preaches in New York, taught on this passage. The natural question to ask is, “What was the joy that caused Jesus to come to earth?” Because when Jesus left Heaven He subordinated all of His desires to something and we are told that it was for the joy that was set before Him that He endured the Cross.
You say, “What was the joy?”
Was it a crown? No, He didn’t need a physical emblem.
Was it the glory? No, He had glory. In Heaven He had Angels worshipping Him day and night saying, “Holy, Holy as the Lord God Almighty who was and is to come.”
Was it authority? No, He had authority. He had all the authority in Heaven.
Was it a relationship with God the Father? No, He wouldn’t have to leave Heaven to have a relationship with God the Father.
He already had all those things. Why would He have to come down here? What joy did He not already have?
Do you know what it was? The only thing He didn’t have was you, was me, was us.
The joy that was set before Him was us. He had everything else. If He loved you like that and you were His joy then He will become your joy.
