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Introduction: Overview of Hebrews 11

Those who are regularly with us know we’ve been traveling through the Book of Hebrews over the last several months. Just a few more Sundays and then we’ll be in the Psalms for the summer. We are excited for the summer. My wife is pregnant, and we’re expecting our third child in July. Very excited about that. I’ve lined up a few guest preachers for the summer. I’m excited to come and share from the Psalms throughout the summer.

I’ve said this before: The Book of Hebrews is, in essence, a transcribed sermon. The writer of Hebrews at some point preached this sermon, wrote it down, and then sent it to this church that was significantly being persecuted. A church that was predominantly composed of Hellenistic Jews or ethnic Jews who spoke Greek and were part of Greek culture, likely located in modern-day Italy.

He writes this sermon, this letter, and he sends it to them as a means of encouraging them to stick with the faith. His goal is that he doesn’t want any of them to abandon Jesus ever. He wants every person who’s a part of the church to stick with Jesus and love him all the days of their life. He knows the best way to do that is to make sure they know how great Jesus is. They need to know that Jesus is better than anything else they could compare him to.

Jesus is better than whatever you think he is. If you have a high view of Jesus, that’s great, but he’s even better than that. If you have a low view of Jesus, that’s an error. He is significantly greater than that. But whatever you think of Jesus, he’s better than that. That’s been the overarching theme of the Book of Hebrews. Jesus is better than the angels. He’s better than Moses. He’s the best brother that’s ever been. He’s the greatest human that’s ever been. He’s a great high priest, greater than the high priest of the Old Testament.

He establishes a covenant greater than the covenant that they mediated. He does it with a sacrifice greater than the sacrifices that they provided. Because Jesus is better. That’s his overarching goal. I want you to be convinced that Jesus is better. That anything you consider going to, anything you think about leaving Jesus for, just know whatever that thing is, it’s not as good as Jesus. Jesus is better.

Then he gets to Hebrews chapter 11. In that chapter, as we’ve seen the last few weeks, he begins to highlight all of these great people from the Old Testament who lived like they believed that God is better than anything else they could think of. He mentions these various people, and he’s writing to these Christians who were ethnic Jews who had become Christians.

As Jews, they would have loved the Old Testament. They would have esteemed the Old Testament. He begins to highlight some of their heroes. He explicitly mentions 16 different names and then alludes to at least 10 other people throughout the chapter. He says, see all these great people in the Old Testament, Abel and Enoch and Abraham and Noah and Isaac and Moses and David and the Prophets. They demonstrated great faith, and they stuck with God.

Do you know why? Because they know that Jesus is better. That’s the overarching message of Hebrews chapter 11. His exhortation to them is, continue to live your life demonstrating faith in Jesus, just like your heroes demonstrated faith in God in the Old Testament. By the way, we know more about God than they did. God has revealed more of himself. We know more of who God is today than even they did. So if they lived out in faith, how much more should we live out in faith?

That’s, in essence, the message of the first 11 chapters of the book of Hebrews. Then we come to Hebrews chapter 12. We will see in Hebrews chapter 12, in the opening few words, that he gives us three exhortations. Number one, he’s going to tell us to get rid of sin. Number two, he’s going to tell us to get rid of anything that could weigh you down, even if it’s not sinful. Number three, he will say, add things to your life that will remind you of who Jesus is.

Those are the exhortations from the early verses of Hebrews chapter 12. Get rid of sin, get rid of anything that will weigh you down to distract you, even if it’s not sinful. Then thirdly, he will say, add some things to your life that will help you remember Jesus. So we’re going to look at Hebrews chapter 12. We’ll see these observations. But before we do that, let’s pray one more time.

Father in heaven, thank you for your word. Help us understand it, speak to us through it, shape us through it. Help us to know how to apply this to our lives. For your glory. Amen.

 

A Cloud of Witnesses

So Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1, says this:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses”

When I was in high school, my pastor would always say this: Whenever you see the word therefore in the Bible, you should stop and ask yourself, what’s the therefore there for? Here, the word ‘therefore’ connects everything he has previously said.

For the first 11 chapters, Jesus is better. Keep your faith in Jesus. Therefore, I want you to do some stuff. So he’s given them a bunch of great information, revelation of who Jesus is, and now he’s going to say, because that is true, therefore, do some stuff. Here’s the stuff he wants us to do.

First, he mentions this great cloud of witnesses. Because we know there’s a great cloud of witnesses, we should do some things. Now, let me pause for a second. I’ve heard people talk about this throughout my Christian life. People talk about this great cloud of witnesses like it’s a bunch of people in heaven together in a crowd, watching us and cheering us on.

I heard a Christian leader once explain it like we are track stars running around the track. This great cloud of witnesses, they’re in the stands cheering us on. That’s not at all what the writer of Hebrews is saying here. He’s saying we have this great cloud of witnesses. The word witness there is like a witness in a trial, like a court of law.

We have a crew of witnesses. Who is he alluding to? Well, the people he just mentioned in Hebrews 11. The 26 people that are mentioned or alluded to in Hebrews 11, who put faith in God and saw God do some amazing things through them. It’s like he’s calling these people from the Old Testament up to the witness stand.

The writer of Hebrews is like the prosecuting attorney. He’s making a case, and he’s calling people from the Old Testament to the witness stand. He’s saying, Noah, come to the witness stand and testify to these people what it means to have faith in God. Noah gets on the stand and says, I trusted in God and my entire family survived a global flood.

He calls Abraham to the stand. The writer of Hebrew says, Tell us, Abraham, testify to us. Abraham says, I trusted God, and my wife and I are old, but he told us we would have a child. I don’t know if you know this about old people, but we don’t usually have children. But you know what? We had a child. In fact, I became the father of many nations.

The writer of Hebrews then brings Moses and the Israelites to the stand. They say we witnessed miracles in Egypt. We witnessed the judgment and wrath of God on the Egyptians who refused to repent. We trusted God, and we saw him miraculously rescue us from Egyptian tyranny. We watched God part the Red Sea and cross us over into the wilderness. Then God brought us Joshua and the next generation. We went into the promised land, and we watched the walls of Jericho fall down. God handed us, on a silver platter, this land we now call Israel.

Over and over again throughout chapter 11, the writer of Hebrews is calling people to the witness stand. Come to the witness stand and tell these Christians about what it means to have faith in God. These witnesses talk about the miracles of God, the mercy of God, how they took over kingdoms and defeated armies, and they shut the mouths of lions, and even a few of them raised people from the dead.

They testify and they present evidence that should lead us to only one verdict. There’s only one reasonable, rational verdict that we can come to when we hear the testimony of the saints of old. That is, Jesus is better. Keep believing in Jesus. The Old Testament saints believed in the Messiah.

They didn’t know his name would be Jesus, but they knew that God promised a Messiah, and they looked forward to the day that he would come. They believed in God, and they saw God do Great things. So the writer of Hebrews is saying, Jesus is better. Look at all these witnesses. It’s a great cloud, such a great cloud of witnesses testifying to you that faith in Jesus is worth it.

 

Get Rid of Sin

Because that is true, here’s the first exhortation he gives us. In the middle part of Hebrews, Chapter 12, verse 1, he first alludes to the great cloud of witnesses. Then he says this:

“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.”

He says, Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which clings closely. Another English translation renders it this way:

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”

There’s a keyword there. The word is ‘And’. He wants us to throw off everything that hinders ‘and’ the sin that easily entangles. The sin that clings closely. The word ‘and’ there in the Greek means ‘And’. The word ‘And’ makes it clear that two distinct things are going on here. If I say to you, Kenny and Malaina. (Malaina is my wife.) Kenny and Malaina went to Jimmy John’s. How many people went to Jimmy John’s? It’s two. If I say to you the Eagles and the Chiefs played in the Super Bowl, how many teams played in the Super Bowl? There are two.

There are two distinctive things here. He’s saying, listen, get rid of everything that hinders and get rid of the sin. The sin is the obvious one: get rid of sin.

 

Get Rid of Things that Weigh You Down

But also, there are these other things. There’s this category of things over here that maybe aren’t quite sinful, but they might weigh you down.

The imagery is that you are a runner. I mentioned this last week, I ran track in high school. I was pretty quick. I remember when you’re a runner, you don’t want anything to get in the way of you running. Your outfit, the way you cut your hair. You want to make sure you’ve got nothing that’s going to weigh you down.

The writer is saying, the Christian life following Jesus is like running. You want to make sure there’s nothing on you or in front of you that’s going to slow you down. He’s saying, sin is bad. Get rid of sin. But also in addition to that, some things may not seem sinful, but they’re going to weigh you down, they’re going to slow you down, they’re not going to help you run. Get rid of those things, too. That’s his exhortation to us.

So often, Christians live this dumb, minimalist Christian life. The question so many people ask is, Is it a sin? If it’s not a sin, then I can do it, right? That’s how immature Christians behave. That’s not the brand of a mature Christian. The person who wants to follow Jesus wholeheartedly does not ask, Is it sinful? That’s the wrong question. The right question is, will it help me run faster? Some things are not sins but could weigh you down.

The writer of Hebrews is saying, Examine your life. Think about your life, think about your behaviors, think about how you live. Anything that gets in your way, even if it’s not sinful, get rid of that thing. Are video games sinful? No, not necessarily. But will they help you run after Jesus faster? It depends on how many minutes you spend playing. I don’t think video games are sinful at all. But are they potentially a weight that will slow you down? Maybe you should consider getting rid of them.

Is Netflix a sin? No. (I guess it depends on what you’re watching.) Inherently, no, Netflix is not a sin. My wife and I have Netflix. We watch all sorts of dumb stuff. We’ve been watching every apocalypse show. My wife watches the British Baking Show regularly. Is Netflix a sin? No, it’s not sinful. But could it slow you down in the Christian life? Absolutely. So be very careful how many minutes you spend on Netflix.

Dads, is it wrong to have your work email on your phone? No, it’s not a sin. But could it be an obstacle between you and the things that are most important in your life? Absolutely, it could. Maybe consider taking the email off your phone. Ladies, is it wrong for you to watch the rom-coms? No, it’s not sinful to watch the rom-coms, but could it cause you to think about relationships too much and think about wanting a boy more than you ought to? Of course.
Could it be a hindrance? Maybe you should eliminate some of the rom-coms.

Is it wrong to read a bunch of dystopian fiction novels? No, it’s not sinful. But is it a distraction? Is it weighing you down? How many minutes are you spending reading that versus reading God’s word? Is it a sin to have Instagram? No. Unless your parents say you can’t have it, then yes, it is a sin. You disobey your parents, then. No, it’s not a sin to have Instagram. But could it weigh me down potentially? How many minutes do I spend doing this? Opposed to this?

A few months ago, I deleted TikTok from my phone because I was spending a lot of time on TikTok. I gave my wife anxiety because she would overhear me watching these videos. I really got into watching police body cam videos. The police released them. Or videos of people interacting with police. It’s terrifying. You realize how ridiculous humans are. I realized I’m spending way more time on TikTok watching Police Body cam videos than I am spending time with my kids or my savior. Clearly, this was a weight, It was a hindrance. So I deleted TikTok from my phone.

Do I think having TikTok on your phone is a sin? I do not think TikTok is a sin at all. But for me, it was a hindrance. So, for me, I had to get rid of it. Your hindrance is going to be different than mine. We’re going to have different hindrances. It’s going to be different from person to person. So you have to pray and be honest with yourself. Prayerfully consider your own life, take inventory of your own heart and mind, and ask yourself, What are the things in my life that are a hindrance?

The writer of Hebrews would say, Get rid of it and run after Jesus because he is better. There’s a great quote from Dr. John Piper. He’s a pastor, and he was a pastor in Minnesota for many years. He was my boss for a little while. Dr. John Piper says this: One of the greatest uses of social media will be to prove at the last day that prayerlessness was not from a lack of time.

We’re gonna stand before God on Judgment Day. He’s gonna say, so you didn’t pray a lot, did you? Yeah, I didn’t have any time. He’s gonna whip out the logbook. You were on Twitter for 1,818 hours. Seems to me you have plenty of time to pray. Now, in his grace, this will be covered under his blood. Praise be to God.

Those of you who know me, know I’m a political junkie. I love politics and culture, but I’ve had to limit myself to how much I follow politics. Election season, I’m all in. Then I turn it off for two years. My wife listens and watches. She’ll regurgitate stuff for a bit. But for me, it’s not good for my soul.

In College in the early 2000s, I found this guy by the name of Rush Limbaugh. Rush Limbaugh was one of the most influential men in American culture for many years. I started listening to Rush a lot. I was what they called a ditto head. I love Rush Limbaugh. I listened almost every day from about 2001 till 2012. About 11 years.

I can probably count on two hands the number of days I missed Rush. He would be on the East Coast radio from about 12 to 3. I would orchestrate the day of my life and make sure that I would be in the car as much as possible during those hours. I love Rush.

You know what I found? The more I listened to this guy. He was a conservative political talk radio guy. I started to hate, really loathe, liberal people who had liberal politics. I remember after the 2012 election, the person I voted for lost. I was so angry. I had this venom in my heart.

I was a youth pastor, and I remember hearing the Holy Spirit prompt my heart, saying, I’ve commanded you to be kind and compassionate and sympathetic and gentle and tender. Do you think you could do that easily for a Democrat? Nope. Do you think the commands of God are only in play if the person voted for the same person you voted for? No.

I remember the Holy Spirit really speaking in my heart. I realized, is it a sin to listen to political talk radio? No, it’s not a sin. But for me, it was causing things in me that were unhealthy and toxic. So I had to cut it. For me, it was a hindrance. I haven’t listened to political talk radio since 2012, and my soul is way healthier.

I love people I disagree with. I can look at someone and think they’re absolutely wrong on a policy and totally reject their bad idea, and still have compassion and sympathy toward that person because I got rid of some hindrances in my life.

I think a lot of Christians suffer from this in our modern society. So whatever it is for you, whatever makes it harder for you to obey God, get rid of that thing. So there’s this thing in my life, it’s not sinful, but it’s making it harder for me to do the thing that God wants me to do. Get rid of it. The Apostle Paul says this in First Corinthians 9, verse 27:

“I discipline my body, and I keep it under control so that I will not be disqualified from the prize.”

Another English translation renders it this way:

“I beat my body too, and I make it my slave.”

Paul says, My body wants certain things. You know what I do? I beat my body. You’re a slave to me. You will do what I tell you to do. In Romans 13:14, the apostle Paul says this:

“Make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.”

Make no provision for the flesh. Don’t live your life in such a way that your sinful desires have any opportunity to be satisfied. I have a good friend of mine who was an alcoholic and is in recovery. He’s been a part of AA. God has done a really great work in his life over the last few years. He and I were hanging out a few weeks ago, and he told me that, because of his alcoholism and his background, he no longer goes to restaurants that have a bar.

He just can’t handle it. He can’t go to Applebee’s because even looking at a bar will make him want to go back down that road. He can’t go to Olive Garden because they bring wine to the table for you to sample. He can’t even do that. So he and his wife only go out to eat at breakfast joints.

Now, my friend, if he were here today, he would tell you he doesn’t believe alcohol is a sin. I would agree with him. There’s nothing in scripture that would say alcohol is a sin. Drinking alcohol is not sinful. However, for some people, it’s a hindrance. For those people, you should never have alcohol. Alcohol is not sinful, but it could weigh you down. So be extremely careful.

This long list of witnesses in Hebrews, chapter 11, the writer of Hebrews is calling to the stand. They are all testifying. Living in this manner is worth it. Getting rid of the sin and the hindrances. It’s valuable and it’s worth it. It will pay off. God will do great things in you and through you, he will sustain you. He is better than anything you could ever imagine. Go all in on Jesus. Surrender all to Jesus. Give him your whole heart. He is better.

Then he says this in Hebrews 12, verse 2, he’s going to allude to how we defeat sin in our lives. So first, he said to get rid of the hindrances. Get rid of sin. Then he says this in Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 2:

“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.”

The writer of Hebrews is saying, You want to fight your sin. It’s what you do. Look at Jesus and look what he did. He’s the founder and perfecter of our faith. He came to this planet, and he endured a cross. Why? Because there was a joy set before him. The Father said to him, Son, if you endure this, on the other side of it, there will be a family of people that you’ve redeemed that we will enjoy together forever and ever and ever. Jesus looked forward to that.

He said, I want them to experience me. I want those people to experience the maximum amount of joy and love that could ever be had. So I will endure the cross so that this thing will come to fruition. He took the shame and humiliation and pain of the cross so that we could experience his joy and so that he could enjoy us, so that we could enjoy each other forever and ever and ever.

The writer of Hebrews is saying, You want to endure things in this life? Here’s what you do. Look at the one who endured for you. Look at Jesus. In fact, 14 different times throughout the book of Hebrews, he makes that sort of statement. He says things like, Consider Jesus. Look to Jesus. Think about Jesus. In Hebrews chapter 2, he tells us to pay close attention to the things you’ve heard about Jesus. Look at Jesus.

 

Add Things to Your Life to Remind You of Jesus

Our third point for this morning is to practically add things to your life that will remind you of Jesus. I mentioned a few of these a couple of weeks ago, but they’re worth mentioning again. Gathering with Christians every Sunday on the Lord’s Day is an essential part of the Christian life because this is a place where you will be reminded of what Jesus did for you.

It is why we do confession and communion every single week. I want to smack you in the face with the glory of Jesus every single week, week after week. I want to remind you of what he finished on the cross on your behalf every single week. I mentioned this stat a couple of weeks ago. Less than 50% of American evangelicals think it’s important to attend church weekly. Less than 40% actually do.

The average American evangelical attends church on average 1.5 times per month. That’s considered normal, regular attending. Let me tell you that is not nearly enough. Not close. I’ve been really looking around, figuring out how to do a midweek service because I hate going a whole week without seeing you guys. I hate it.

Another thing we can do to remind ourselves of Jesus is make sure that we have great Christian friendships. Are your best friends the people closest to you who are most influencing your life? Are they people who are gonna help point you toward Jesus? If they’re not, then maybe you should shuffle the deck of your friendships a bit.

How about the media you consume? How about the music you consume? I love podcasts, but maybe turn them off sometimes. Turn off the fantasy football podcast or the This Teenage Life podcast, or the Joe Rogan podcast. Maybe just turn it off. Maybe turn some music on that will remind you of Jesus.

This is why we have a master list of every song we’ve ever done on our website. This is why we publish sermons. I don’t want to publish sermons for people to just listen to the sermon they missed. No, it’s for those who are already here to go back and listen again, to remind yourself of what God has done on your behalf.

That’s why we do those things. How about things like daily prayer, reading, family devotions, and personal prayer time? Are these things staples in your life? If they’re not, I would encourage you to add them. The writer of Hebrews is saying we have to look to Jesus. So, find some ways to add some things to your life that will continually remind you of Jesus.

 

Conclusion: Run the Race

Those are the three observations we see in Hebrews 12. Number one, get rid of your sin. Number two, get rid of anything that’s a hindrance, even if it’s not sinful. Number three, look to Jesus. Intentionally add some stuff to your life that will consistently remind you of Jesus. That’s ultimately the exhortation from the writer of Hebrews.

Last thought for this morning. He says here that there is a race that’s been marked out for us. There’s a race that’s been set for us. He’s saying, here’s the race I want you to run. That race has only been made possible because of what Christ has done on your behalf. If he has called you to it, then he will help you run the race. You don’t have to do these things by yourself. He will help you if you humbly ask Him.