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Hebrews 12:1, 2 - FIXING OUR EYES ON JESUS.

Hebrews 12:1, 2 (NLT) Therefore, since we 
are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses 
to the life of faith, let us strip off every 
weight that slows us down, especially the sin that 
so easily trips us up. And let us run with 
endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this 
by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who 
initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy 
awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its 
shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor 
beside Gods throne.  

INTRODUCTION

The Christian life involves hard work. It 
requires us to give up whatever endangers our 
relationship with God, to run patiently, and to struggle 
against sin with the power of the Holy Spirit. To 
live effectively, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. 
We will stumble if we look away from him to 
stare at ourselves or at the circumstances 
surrounding us. We should be running for Christ, not 
ourselves, and we must always keep him in sight. [Life 
Application SB] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

Run The Right Way
Let us run with endurance the race that is 
set before us. Hebrews 12:1 
   The 1929 Rose Bowl had an incredibly 
talented football player named Roy Riegels, who 
picked up a fumble and ran sixty-four yards while 
seventy thousand people cheered him on. He was 
determined to win the game for the team. Instead, he 
ran the wrong way to a miserable defeat. 
   You have to know what you believe and why 
you believe it before you can know where you are 
going. 
   So you ask, "What must I do?" Say yes to 
Christ. It involves a choice of your intellect. It 
is a choice of your emotions. It is a choice of 
your will. It must be a choice of your total 
personality, yielded to Christ by faith in Him. 
   You may think because you've been in 
church all your life that you are on the right 
road. But that could be untrue if you are there 
for the wrong reason. Church membership does not 
save. Good deeds do not save. Only running toward 
Christ, repenting, and obeying His commands will 
ensure you're running in the right direction. 
   What are you running toward? [Peace for 
Each Day by Billy Graham] 

COMMENTARY

Whats Slowing You Down?
"We must get rid of everything that slows us 
down, especially the sin that just won't let go. 
And we must be determined to run the race that 
is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, 
who leads us and makes our faith complete." 
Hebrews 12:1-2 (CEV) 
   When you go on a diet, whats the first 
thing you do? Many people go straight to the 
refrigerator and pantry, take out all the junk food, and 
get it out of the house. They want to eliminate 
the junk so that they are set up for success in 
their diet. 
   When you realize you need a life reset, 
eliminating anything unhelpful or unhealthy is an 
important step. 
   Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "We must get rid of 
everything that slows us down, especially the sin that 
just won't let go. And we must be determined to 
run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep 
our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our 
faith complete" (CEV). 
   We often worry about junk food and what 
it does to us. But what about mental junk 
food? 
   If you want to change your life, maybe 
you need to unplug your TV for a few months or 
cancel your streaming service subscription. To 
really change your mind, you have to stop the junk 
that's coming in over the Internet. You may need to 
take a break from the pressures and comparisons 
and useless information on social media. 
   Maybe you need to let go of a 
relationship that's pulling you down"a friend that's 
not really being a friend or a boyfriend or 
girlfriend that is leading you away from Jesus. They're 
leading you in the wrong direction. If youre 
trying to lift someone up and theyre trying to 
pull you down, who's going to win? Its almost 
always easier to get pulled down. 
   You may need to confess your sin. Are you 
doing that regularly? If not, then unconfessed sin 
is building up in your life. Thats going to 
affect your relationship with God, which means it 
affects every area of your life. To have a 
successful reset, you need to get rid of anything that 
has come between you and God. In other words, 
you need to get rid of your unconfessed sin. 
   Things in your life that are unhealthy 
and unhelpful may look like a bad attitude, 
certain books or movies or music, distractions, 
hobbies, or habits. 
   What do you need to get rid of or let go 
of to help you reset and focus on Jesus as you 
run your race in life? [Daily Devotional by Rick 
Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

No Other Way
Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured 
the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is 
seated in the place of honor beside Gods throne. 
(Hebrews 12:2 NLT) 
   Its insulting to God to suggest that 
all religions lead to Him. If that were true, 
then why would He have allowed His Son to go 
through the suffering of the cross? 
   Jesus knew there was no other way for our 
sin to be dealt with. There was no other way for 
us to experience fellowship with God, from whom 
we were separated by sin. So, Jesus had to 
taste death for everyone. He had to go to the 
cross and die for the sins of the world. 
   Jesus, being omniscient, knew that His 
disciples would forsake Him, Peter would deny Him, and 
Judas would betray Him for thirty pieces of 
silver. And He knew He would go through unimaginable 
suffering and pain. So, what kept Him going through it 
all? 
   We find the answer in Hebrews 12: 
Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the 
cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in 
the place of honor beside Gods throne 
(verse 2 NLT). 
   Jesus heard the mob cry out, Crucify 
him! (Matthew 27:22-23 NLT). He endured the 
mocking and taunting of the soldiers. He made His 
way through the winding streets of Jerusalem, 
knowing He was about to die. But He kept going. What 
kept Him going was the joy awaiting Him. 
   Jesus told a story about a lamb that went 
astray. The shepherd went searching for it, found 
it, put it on his shoulders, and returned with 
joy. Then Jesus said, In the same way, there 
is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who 
repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine 
others who are righteous and havent strayed 
away! (Luke 15:7 NLT). 
   The joy awaiting Him was you. The joy 
awaiting Him was me. It was the knowledge that we 
would come into communion and fellowship with Him. 
He loved us so much that He went to the cross 
on our behalf. [Greg Laurie from Harvest 
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]  

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY

Hebrews 12:1, 2 - Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus.

https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20231022-1110.html 

https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230326-1035.html 

Hebrews 12:1-3 - THE RACE OF FAITH - RUNNING 
WITH JESUS. 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200507-1202.html 

Hebrews 12:3 - So keep your mind on Jesus 
Then you won't get discouraged and give up. 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210111-1048.html 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/