MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE

 

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

Hebrews 12:1-2

Our afflictions in life leave us weak and injured, not only in body but also in spirit. Our faith compels us to look up to God for strength and guidance when our hearts are fainting.  Our lives are indeed uncertain, like a “dark maze.”   Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).  Faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  

Hebrews 11 helps us grasp what faith looks like, for faith is certain in the unseen things.  Faith helps us to have the assurance that God exists and rewards those who diligently seek Him.  In chapter 11 of Hebrews, we are given a long list of heroes with that faith.  Their faith helped them to endure great tragedy, massive trials, and the loss of everything.  Their amazing faith helped their eyes and hearts to be focused on Heaven and not the things of this world.  The faith that looks up to Jesus walks by faith, not sight.  Since we have these heroes of faith, we are compelled to live with the same faith approved by God.  Their faithfulness encourages us to run the race and finish well.  

I.   THE NEED FOR FAITH:

• Looking to Jesus, The Founder, And Perfecter of Our Faith:

In Hebrews 10, the writer concludes this chapter by reminding us that the righteous must live by faith, not sight.  He urges us to have that faith that endures until the end and saves our souls.  Why?  Because those who give up and shrink back are destroyed. Indeed, he describes those who live by faith. When we consider the detailed description of faith in Hebrews 11, it is easy to see today's many misconceptions of faith.  Why?  

1. Because many think of faith as having any sort of spirituality. 
2. People speak of having many faiths (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc.). 
3. Others speak of faith as believing that something good will happen to them (the popular teachings of Joel Osteen). 
4. Some think faith is something blind, taking a blind leap against known facts. 

The truth is that none of these descriptions are Biblical faith.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.” (Hebrews 11:1-2)

Consider a few translations that help us understand what the writer of Hebrews teaches us about faith.  

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (NIV/TNIV)

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (NLT)

"To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see." (GNB)

The NLT applies the text well.  The GNB does an excellent job of simplifying the concept and maintaining an accurate message.

1. Faith is the basis of our whole Christian life. 
2. Faith is the basis of our hope.  
3. Faith is an expression of our confidence in what God has revealed.  
4. Faith looks upward and above toward things unseen, away from the things of this world.  

Our song, “My Faith Looks Up To Thee,” reminds us and encourages us to keep or fix our eyes on the unseen reward, "looking to Jesus, the founder, and perfecter of our faith... " (Heb. 12:2).  It encourages us to look up to Him in faith because He is the Lamb of Calvary who was offered as a sacrifice to take away our sins (1 Pet. 1:18-21; 1 John 1:18-21).  

1. Our faith also looks forward to Christ’s coming (Hebrews 10:38). 
2. Faith is trusting that God’s unseen promises will actually happen.  
3. Our faith will lead us to be approved by God as we put our trust or confidence in Him alone.  
4. The heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 trusted God despite their trials and hardship.  
1. They triumphed because of their faith and their trust in God.  
2. They clung tightly to God’s promises as they relied on God’s Word and remained faithful.

That picture of faith is portrayed in Hebrews 11:3 as a powerful example. 

“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”  (Hebrews 11:3)

The universe and everything created came into existence by things that cannot be seen. God commanded the universe into existence by His words that cannot be seen.  Yet those unseen words brought into existence the visible worlds. Our visible world was created by an invisible God who spoke an invisible command.

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Hebrews 11:6 is key to our teaching about faith.  

1. Without faith, it is impossible to please God.  
2. Without faith:  relying on His promises, depending on His Word, and faithfulness toward God, it will be impossible to make it to Heaven.  
3. Without faith, our eyes will compel us to focus on the things of this world.
4. Without faith, we will definitely shrink back and give up. 
5. Without faith, we will not make it to Heaven.  
6. Without faith (complete reliance on God), life’s difficult circumstances will cause us to shrink back and give up.  
7. Faith is the certainty that God exists and cares.   
8. Faith in God is not just mental affirmation or acceptance.  
9. Faith is being certain of things we cannot see.  
10.  Faith believes in the God we cannot see.  
11. Faith believes in God’s words and promises.
12. Faith believes that God rewards those who sincerely seek Him. 

These things are tied to our endurance (Hebrews 10:36). We must have this kind of faith to be found pleasing to God.  Without this kind of faith, we will shrink back and lose our reward.  

II.   RUNNING THE RACE WITH ENDURANCE:

"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised."  (Hebrews 10:35-36)

 

In Hebrews 10:36, the writer points out our need for endurance. We have a race set before our eyes that demands endurance or perseverance.  We have already read in Hebrews 11 of the heroes of faith who ran the race set before them with endurance. Do you suppose Abraham did not need endurance? Indeed, he did.  Like him and all the other heroes of faith, we must have the endurance to finish our race well.  So how can we finish our race, exercising athletic discipline?   Consider the writer’s answer in Hebrews 12:2

“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 answer is to look to Jesus. We must fix our eyes on Jesus only. He must be our focus in this life and nothing else.  

“No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Luke 16:13)

We get what we focus on.  Sadly, we are often distracted by this world, taking our attention away from Jesus, the founder, and perfecter of our faith. We must determine to look to Jesus, fix our eyes on Him, not on sin and earthly things!  Jesus must be our focus in life and nothing else.  Our eyes must be fixed on the promised reward, not on earth.  Jesus focused on the joy set before Him.  He did not focus on the physical but on the goal.  Are your eyes focused on Jesus, or are they focused on the things of this world? Is your focus heaven or hell? Remember, we will get what we focus on.  We must focus our minds on what Jesus did and how He endured.  

• What Jesus Did:

Jesus is the pioneer, the perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 2:10 describes that language for us.

“For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.”

Jesus is our trailblazer, for He has blazed the trail ahead of us, beckoning us to follow.  His way is not an unknown road. Jesus has shown us the road we must walk to bring our faith to completion. Jesus shows us the way.

• How Jesus Endured:

How did Jesus do it? 

He did it in the same way that the heroes of the faith did it in Hebrews 11. Their eyes were fixed on the promised reward, not on earth. Jesus focused on the joy set before Him. He did not focus on the physical but on the goal. He looked to the purpose He came to accomplish on earth.  Jesus endured the cross and its shame because of the joy set before Him.  He could look beyond the cross because He did not focus on its weight and shame.  He saw the joy of salvation as a result of His act.  He could see the joy of salvation offered by His act. Jesus did not focus on the temporary suffering of the cross, the mocking, and the shame of the cross. The suffering, mocking, and shame meant nothing to Him because His joy was greater than the shame.  As Jesus endured till the end, so must we endure, even amid our suffering and pain.  When we fix our eyes on Jesus and the joy set before us, we endure suffering and trials.  Joy is the result of our endurance.  Hope helps us to endure and have joy amid our sufferings and trials.  

Jesus looked beyond the cross because He knew that God keeps His promises and would surely exalt Him to the right hand of the throne of glory. Jesus’ faith enabled Him to accomplish His goal.  Because He believed, He received His reward, and God could keep His promises. The same thing is true for us. When we look to Jesus in faith, we see through our suffering and know that God keeps His promises of a better country and a great reward.

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”  (Hebrews 11:13-16)

Hebrews 11:13-16 is vital to our faith.  Notice that all those heroes died in faith, not receiving the things promised.  They acknowledged they were strangers and exiles on earth. Faith compels us to focus on God’s heavenly things, not on the things of this world. Faith compels us to serve God without focusing on what we will receive right now. To serve God in such a way is idolatry.  It is not faith! Faith believes in the unseen, not what can be seen right now.  

1. The heroes of faith saw their promises from afar. 
2. They saw their promises because they believed in the unseen without receiving them. 
3. They were so confident of God’s promises and reward that they could see the unseen.
4.  Though they did not receive the promises, they were so confident in their faith that they could see what they would receive.

Indeed, this world was not their home. They were seeking a better home (Hebrews 11:14).  They were traveling through life to a better country (Hebrews 11:16).  

1. When we focus on this world, we will return to it.  
2. When our primary focus is this earthly life, we will shrink back and cling to the things of this world.  
3. When our hearts are on earth, we want to stay here.  
4. When this world’s physical and material things are more important to us than the better country that God has promised, Heaven will not be our home.

The heroes of faith desired a better country. True faith desires more than what the eyes can see.  And though God made everything that our eyes can see, we must walk by faith, faith in the unseen.  There is something better and greater, our heavenly country.  So let us not trade in our heavenly country for the temporary, fleeting pleasures of this world that our eyes can see.

“But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”  (Hebrews 11:16)

The words in verse 16 are encouraging words. God is not ashamed to be called our God. God is willing to accept us as His people.  What a glorious picture! The writer of Hebrews reminds us of what is awaiting us.  God has already prepared a city for us. Notice that this statement is in the past tense. The reward is already waiting for us! Since our reward is certain, we must desire the better city, not the temporary pleasures of this world.  

Moses chose to share the oppression of God’s people rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 

“He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.” (Hebrews 11:25-26)

Moses traded the temporary pleasures, looking forward to the great eternal reward.

“And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:39-40)

In Hebrews 11:13-16, the writer stresses that what we receive now must not be as important to us as what God has promised for us later. Knowing this, 

1. Let us not give up true faith. 
2. Let us trust in God completely to receive His promises.  
3. Let us not throw away our confidence, which has a great reward. 
4. Let us endure and finish our race well.  
5. Let us strengthen our faith and grow stronger in the Lord, enduring life’s difficulties and gaining victory.  
6. Let us keep doing the will of God even amid our times of suffering.  

Remember that if we endure faithfully until the end, we will receive the promised reward.  Oh, what a glorious day that will be! 

The writer quotes together Isaiah 26:20 and Habakkuk 2:3-4. The righteous live by faith. When we live by faith, we do not put our trust and confidence in the things of this world:  the physical, material things. When our faith looks up to Jesus, we will never give up, even when we suffer tragedy and loss.  We will never shrink back and give up because we know we will be destroyed. God has no pleasure in those who give up.  Thus, let us not lose heart and lose our faith, for we must preserve ourselves through faith.  Let us not turn away from God, listening to Satan’s lies. Life in God is better than possessions, fleshly desires, and power. Jesus did not use His power of divinity to obtain these things. His fulfillment in life was the kingdom of God. True satisfaction comes from God, not from physical, temporary things.

CONCLUSION:

Let us not grow weary, but instead, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the leader of faith, to endure and finish the race set before us.  Stop and think for a minute about what Jesus suffered and endured.  We must follow Jesus and the example of the cloud of witnesses that walked the path of faith before us.  They could endure because they laid aside every weight that slowed them down from righteousness.  They got rid of everything, every sin, to endure and not grow weary or fainthearted (Hebrews 12:3).  

Our suffering has not been to the degree that Jesus suffered. Let us remember this!  Jesus suffered all the way to the point of death, and so did many of the heroes of faith recorded in Hebrews 11. We must not feel sorry for ourselves when suffering.  Nor should we grow weary and give up. Instead, we must consider the life of Jesus and the cloud of witnesses.  It is easy to be discouraged, throw in the towel, and give up!  But we must acknowledge that we are fighting a big enemy, Satan, in a war against sin.  We must remember that our battle is not even close to what Jesus had to endure for us.  

We, children of God, are not excluded from suffering and hardship.  We are not promised a smooth life filled with rainbows and sunsets.  Remember the exhortation given in Proverbs 3:11-12.  

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 

Let us not take the Lord’s teaching lightly. God never promised an easy life. Hardship in life must be looked at as God’s method of training and discipline. Parents love their children by correcting and disciplining them.  God trains and disciplines us into shape because He is our Father, and we are His children.   God allows bad, challenging, and difficult things to happen to us to teach, reprove, discipline, and whip us into shape. Yes, God spanks us!  What kind of Father would God be if He gave us an easy life?  Stop and think about this!  Every child needs correcting and hardship to learn. We learn from pain and change because of hardships.  We need correction and hardships to be shaped into the image of God.

Difficult times bring about the fruit of righteousness in our lives. And though life is difficult and full of pain, we must not give up and quit!  Instead, we must look to Jesus in faith and allow Him to teach us God’s lessons.  Hardship is good for us, for it helps us change and bear fruit to the glory of God.  Thus, let us be strong, get a grip, pull ourselves together, and stop whining.  Let us lay aside everything except our faith and endurance!  Let us allow God to heal us when we feel like we are falling apart under the weight of suffering.  

In Hebrews 11:6,  we are told that  “it is impossible to please God without faith.”  We won’t make it without faith when life falls apart in difficult times. Without God’s correction, reproof, discipline, and whipping, we will not see the Lord and receive the reward awaiting us.  Yes, life is full of suffering, hardship, and difficulties! But are we going to throw away our eternal inheritance with the Lord just because we are suffering and life is hard?  Do we prefer to be rejected by God and not receive the blessing He has promised us just because we find it difficult to endure our suffering? We have not suffered to the point of shedding blood like Jesus! So let us be strong and look through the suffering, fixing our eyes on Jesus and our eternal reward!  Let Jesus be our main focus, and never trade away God’s blessings and His reward for a  few crumbs of this physical world.

Our beloved song, “My Faith Looks Up To Thee,” reminds us that we must look up to Jesus in faith because He is our Mediator who has promised to hear our prayers to the Father (1 Tim. 2:5).  We must look up to Him in faith because He has promised to give us strength, for His grace is sufficient to help us endure our trials and tribulations.  He is the supreme embodiment of God’s Grace.  When we put our faith in Jesus, His grace will help us bear our heavy burdens (2 Cor. 8:9; 12:7-9).  

Our Lord and Savior bids darkness turn to day and wipes our tears and sorrows away through God’s Grace (2 Eph. 2:13-14, 17-18).  Jesus has promised to be with us amid our sufferings and trials.  He urges us not to be afraid, for He has promised to remove our fears and anxieties if we put our faith in Him.  Thus, we must put our faith completely in Jesus and trust Him to help us, through His Grace, endure, run our race, and finish well, whatever life throws at us. Let this be our motivator when life is hard and full of tears!  

Jesus removes our fear and distrust. Even in death, Jesus has promised to be with us. As a result, those who die in the Lord will have rest (Rev. 14:13).  Thus, we must put our faith completely in Jesus, as did the centurion of Matthew 8:5-11. We have the hope that at life’s end, we may sit down with the saints of all ages in the kingdom of Heaven.

“When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 ‘Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.’ 7 And he said to him, 'I will come and heal him.' 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.’ 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”’  (Matthew 8:5-11)

Therefore, let us walk this life of trouble, suffering, and hardship, always looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.  Let us turn our hearts to Him and say, "My Faith Looks Up To Thee."

May our faith look up to Jesus, our Lamb of Calvary and Savior divine, to find strength amid our suffering and hardship.  May He be our guide when life’s dark maze we tread and griefs around us spread.  May our faith look to Jesus to bid darkness turn to day and wipe sorrows’ tears away.   May we never grow weary but instead fix our eyes on Jesus, the leader of faith, to endure and finish well the race set before us and receive the reward that awaits us.

I hope the words of this lovely song compel you to look to Jesus in faith amid life’s trials and tribulations.

My faith looks up to Thee, 

Thou Lamb of Calvary, 

Savior divine!

Now hear me while I pray, 

Take all my guilt away,

O let me from this day 

Be wholly Thine!

 May Thy rich grace impart 

Strength to my fainting heart, 

My zeal inspire!

As Thou hast died for me, 

O may my love to Thee

Pure, warm, and changeless be, 

A living fire!

While life’s dark maze I tread, 

And griefs around me spread, 

Be Thou my guide;

Bid darkness turn to day, 

Wipe sorrow’s tears away,

Nor let me ever stray 

From Thee aside.

When ends life's transient dream

When death's cold, sullen stream

Shall o'er me roll

Blest Savior, then in love

Fear and distrust remove

O bear me safe above

A ransomed soul!

Luci