Theme: Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

Text: Hebrews 12:2

PS: We, as Christians have to fix our eyes on Jesus
IR: Why we need to fix our eyes on Jesus?

Introduction:
Our key verse is Hebrews 12:2. I was drawn to that verse because the imperative in
the first phrase: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.” That speaks of united action-“Let us.” It
speaks of a definite action-“fix our eyes.” And it speaks of a single aim-“on Jesus.”
When we look back Hebrews chapter 11,particularly,verses 39-40,it says,
39
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been
promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with
us would they be made perfect.

I. Our Focus

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews
12:2a).

The word “fix” comes from a Greek word that has the idea of
concentrating your gaze. It means to look away from other things so that you
can focus all your attention on one object.

When the gun sounds, start running as hard as you can. Don’t look back.
Don’t look around. Keep your eyes on the finish line and keep on running.”

To fix our eyes on Jesus requires a holy habit of soul. It demands a

continuous and sustained action, like a mariner in rough seas watching his
compass to make sure he stays on course. This touches all that we do and asks
us to consider how we use our time. What fills your gaze? Is it Jesus? How
could it be anything else?
Illustration:

Many years ago a man hired an experienced guide to lead him on a hike into the Swiss
Alps. After many hours they came to a high and remote mountain pass. To the man’s
dismay, he saw that that path had almost been washed out. What could he do? To the
left was a sheer rock cliff, to his right a precipice that dropped nearly 1000 feet.
Looking down, the man felt his head growing faint and his knees beginning to buckle.
At that moment his guide shouted, “Do not look down or you are a dead man. Keep
your eyes on me, and where I put my feet, put yours there as well.” The man did as he
was instructed and soon he passed from danger to safety.

II. Our Example

Who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame”
(Hebrews 12:2b)

Mark two words in this phrase: “joy” and “cross.” Those two words don’t
seem to go together. The cross speaks of pain, suffering, shame, ridicule,
rejection, and ultimate public humiliation. Crucifixion meant a slow,
agonizing death that often lasted for several days. There was nothing beautiful
or humane about death on a cross. It was the worst kind of torture, reserved
for the very worst criminals. Where is the joy in that kind of death? The
answer is that there is no joy in death by crucifixion, but Jesus went to the
cross and endured the pain and despised the shame that he might obtain the
joy that would be his afterward.

Did Jesus enjoy the cross? No, but he endured it for what would come later.
Did Jesus enjoy the shame? No, but he scorned it for what would come from
it. In this phrase there is a reference to the joy of obedience to his Father’s will
and the joy of completing the work of redemption and the joy of bringing
great glory to his Father and the joy of triumphing over death and hell. These
joys were his but they came at the cost of a cruel Roman cross.

We can see this principle at work in our own lives on two different levels.
Level 1 is giving up the good to obtain the best. In the early days of the new
year, we know that our sincere resolutions depend on this principle. We give
up food that we might lose weight. Students give up a night out to study for
final exams. A young couple gives up dinner and a movie because they are
saving to buy a new car. There is sacrifice involved but both sides of the
 equation involve genuine human pleasure. One is forfeited that a higher one
might be achieved.

Illustration

There is a higher level involves enduring pain to receive a reward. This is why high school
athletes lift weights at 6:00 a.m. when their friends are still in bed. They give up sleep in
order to win the championship next year. And this is why aspiring pianists practice for hours
when they might be watching TV or playing video games. They put in the hours in the hope
that someday they may play for thousands. And in a different way this is why cancer patients
endure the rigors of chemotherapy. They take the potent chemicals into their body hoping
that one day the cancer will be gone. And this is why our young people keep themselves
pure. They want to enter marriage someday with joy and with no regrets. And in yet another
realm, this is why families leave their loved ones and travel to the ends of the earth. They
want the joy of seeing the nations come to Christ. In all these things there is pain involved,
but it is pain endured for the sake of the joy that comes when the goal is finally reached.
Jesus said, “Follow me” and he went to the cross. Are you willing to follow him even to the
cross? Are you willing to endure pain and difficulty in order to know the joy of fulfilling
God’s will for your life?

III. Our Hope

“And sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2c).
Jesus sat down because his work was finished. In the Old Testament the priests on duty
could never sit down because their work of offering sacrifices for sin was never done. But
once Christ had offered himself as the final sacrifice for sin, no other offering could be made
and no other offering would be accepted. That’s why theologians speak of the “finished
work” of Jesus Christ. It means that the work of redemption is now complete.
He sat down at God’s right hand, the place of supreme honor in the universe. There was no
higher place or position for the Lord Jesus Christ in all the universe. Therefore, to him
belongs all praise and majesty. He must have the preeminence in our lives because God has
given him a name that is above every name. And when we pray to him, we are praying to
One who has been exalted to the highest place of honor, which means that we have a Friend
in high places who can help us in our time of need.
“Is your faith strong,” a Christian man was asked a few hours before his death. “No, but my
Jesus is.” It does not matter whether your faith is strong or weak today. During the year to
come your faith will rise and fall according to the varying seasons and tides of life. But do
not worry if your faith does not seem strong. We are not saved by faith in Christ but by
Christ who saves by faith. Even faith like a mustard seed is honored by God.
Illustration
I am reminded of the way Jack Wyrtzen always signed his letters: “On the victory side.”
And when I stood by his grave in Schroon Lake, New York, I saw those words engraved on
his tombstone. Jack lived “on the victory side” even on the earth and that is where he now
dwells with the Lord Jesus Christ

Conclusion:

We are commanded to fix our eyes on Jesus because He is :

(OUR FOCUS) “keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”

We have OUR EXAMPLE of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the joy set before him he endured
the cross, scorning its shame
And we have OUR HOPE and promise of coming glory when we finish our earthly course.
And sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

So, keep your eyes on Jesus.!

Don’t be turned aside or distracted by the things of the world!
Keep running. Don’t look back!
Fix your eyes on Jesus and run with all your might for the finish line… THE RIGHT HAND
OF THE THRONE OF GOD.