Cloud of witnesses
Hebrews 12:1-3; Philippians 3:10-14
Introduction-
We have come together to honor the life and service of Meryl Wolfe, Mike Seilhammer, and George Gauker.
All three were a part of this Church family and each in their own way has made an impact in our lives.
Like the Scripture that Wes read, each has been a cloud of witness here on earth and now goes before us as a cloud of witnesses waiting for us to get home.
They were an encouragement in our daily lives and now are part of the cheering section that awaits believers to enter into the promises and blessings of God.
The Hebrew writer gives us insight and direction for being a witness to others.
To totally understand what he is saying, we must realize that the list of faithful examples comes from Hebrews chapter 11, the faith chapter.
The list of faithful followers that the people of that time would recognize and look up too. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Joseph, to name a few.
Some they would jump at and recognize and some we know did not start out well but became people of faith and witnesses to God goodness towards us and we think of Saul who become the apostle Paul and Rehab who’s lifestyle before faith was not a role model but became a role model that was recorded in the word of God.
Today for us, we add three names to our list of witnesses that have had an impact on our lives.
Each one of them brings smiles to our faces and joy to our hearts even though they have gone ahead.
So what does a cloud of witnesses look like for us today?
The Greek word (nephos) translated clouds was used to describe the highest seats in the bleachers of an amphitheater or stadium. So the usher might say your “seats are in the clouds”
The Holy Spirit of God uses the word cloud to tell and show us we are not alone! The grandstands of heaven all the way up to the clouds, the highest seats in the bleachers are pile high with people who stood the test of time and eventually saw their faith manifested and rewarded and they are waiting with excitement for each of the believers working to make it home.
The devil hates it when God’s people take a stand of faith or when they do kingdom work and drive back darkness.
Satan will try to wrestle you, pin you down, and will try to knock us out of the race to the finish line.
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
The early church was getting older and they were settling into the world and had lost its spark and wartime mentality and drifted through life without focus, and without energy.
Anyone know what I’m talking about?
Tired?
Growing weak?
Knees maybe a little feeble?
It was easier to meander than run the race.
The writer is telling us that it is easy to drift away from the race that we must instead stay focused and the only way to stay focused is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ.
We have to lay aside anything that would cause us to stop running the race.
Things that entangle us and cause us to stumble.
Don’t meander, don’t stroll, don’t wander aimlessly- run the race with the finish line in mind at all times.
This scripture helps us prioritize our lives- is what we are doing the way to greater faith? Greater love of God?
Build up to greater courage?
If not, and it causes me to not run the race- it must be taken out of our lives.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus is personal and a part of community.
We are responsible for our walk with God but we need each other to help us get there. I need you and you need me.
We need to have fellowship with like minded people of faith to help us stay in the race and not lose focus.
The devil will use isolation to get a troubled believer off track. To have them think that no one cares, they are the only one going through these things. Lying to them to discourage, but we as a community lift each other up and help grab an arm to help take the pain away from those having a moment in their walk.
Jesus creates and perfects our faith!
King James Version says “author and finisher of our faith” I like that! The fight of faith is not done in our own strength.
Author and finisher of our faith is the description of Jesus as the main element of Christian faith!
Jesus was not just a man of faith but is the definition of faith- the perfecter of our faith.
The beginning and the end of faith.
He is not an example of faith, He is the champion of faith.
Our Jesus “endured the cross” it is the descriptive account of Jesus on the cross, Jesus suffering and pain, His desire to do the will of the Father, His steadfastness to redeem mankind.
Finish what you started. Do not stop until the prize is at hand. The motivation for Jesus perseverance was “The joy set before him” he looked beyond the contest of just running the race, but wanted the prize that comes from finishing the race and completing what God the Father intended.
It is why we need each other- “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”
Making sure we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses here to help us through those times of weariness, pain, runner’s cramps, those times of dehydration and those times we are begging for a glass of water and we need a helping hand.
Our lives are marked out- as believers all of us have things marked off for us- we are all to be witness to each other and make sure we are helping those in the race to finish.
Enduring to the end places us in honor with those who have finished the race.
The Hebrew writer, the preacher here if you will- tells his audience that there are things we need to throw off or out of our lives that will make us have a successful run.
No where here does it say that everyone has to be first or everyone has to be a preacher, but it does say that there are things that will help you finish the race strong and make sure you stay in the race.
Discard everything that hinders!
That is a broad statement.
Using the analogy of a race, we could say that the writer was telling us to get rid of excess “body fat.” That makes sense- to be a good runner, you have to take care of yourselves- of which I would be in trouble. It is more than that- it is throwing off anything that hinders- kind of like shedding clothes so as to reduce wind resistance- throw off immoral behavior.
Discard the sin(s) that so easily entangle us.
Those things that would keep us bound up and unable to run the intended race that a believer should be running.
A contrast here would be the cheering believers that are cheering us on and the sin that closes in on us and trips us up.
The main warning of the preacher here to the church was “do not allow yourself to be distracted, drift away, become sluggish, spending less time with the Lord and wondering why you are spiritually drained, isolation from other believers, doing things that trap us instead of setting us free, never coming to maturity and staying on the milk of the word.
The chronic tendency to unbelief!
When I am running the race and become tired and discouraged, I am asking God for strength and I am asking God to help me with my unbelief.
Those times that you wither you say it or not, that you do not think that God will do what He has said He would do.
God, help my unbelief to see through your eyes and not my own.
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus” …someone should say amen and give God some praise this morning!
We can worship God by ourselves and we need to do that daily, but we also need to worship God corporately because we need God and we need each other.
It is why community was set up by the Lord.
Church was not man’s idea, it was God’s idea.
We don’t build the church, Jesus said I will build my church and it is when He begins speaking to people and they respond that He does some amazing things!
How did George Gauker make it! Faith in Jesus!
How did Mike Seilhammer make it- Faith in Jesus!
How did Meryl Wolfe make it- Faith in Jesus!
Meryl built sidecars for Harley Davidson, how did he keep from pride, faith in Jesus!
How did they all do it? By looking ahead to the prize- to the reward that was awaiting them.
The early church had no problem giving up possessions. Because they knew what was ahead of them and it was more important than the here and now.
They lived in the presence with the hope of the future
The cloud of witnesses recorded in Hebrews chapter 11 understood the hope they put in God. All the people that have gone on before us that have finished the race.
Those that have mentored us with Godly wisdom and made us disciples into being more mature Christians
Think of the song Steve Green wrote- “Find us faithful”
CHORUS:
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find. Hallelujah!
As we close our time together,
Let me draw us back to Philippians 3:10 where our desire in all of life is to know Christ and take hold of the things that Christ has won for us.
We are not perfect.
We are not without heartache at times.
We do not have to do it alone- The Lord Jesus Is there to strengthen us and help us.
We have a cloud of people cheering for us as believers to strain toward the thing of God and take hold of the incredible prize of salvation and fellowship with God and His people.
All of the people that have mentored you, gave a piece of their heart to become a piece of your heart should draw you closer to the Lord that they served.
Their core values instilled in us make us who we are today. Be careful that their identity and our identity do not get mixed up. Our identity as believers is in Christ alone! Amen.! They have lead us to the Lord and they have brought us to the table of the Lord where each one of us has to take and eat.
