Sunday Digital Bulletin
Sunday, July 27, 2025
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Sermon Notes
Hebrews 12:1-3
Written by Clay Brown
With Hebrews 12.1-3, we move toward some implications of what it means for us to live grounded in the faith described in Hebrews 11: stripping off everything that hinders us as disciples, running the marathon race of faith, and keeping a life-long focus on Jesus Christ in a “long obedience in the same direction.”
1. Anytime a verse begins “therefore,” you’re supposed to examine the previous verses “so you can see what the ‘therefore’ is there for.” How does the “therefore” that starts off Hebrews 12.1 point us back to in Hebrews? How does Clay sum up this “therefore”?
2. In Hebrews 12:1a, the writer states, “we are surrounded by such a huge cloud of witnesses to the life of faith” (NLT). The visual is sitting in a large, sold-out stadium, cheering your team to victory. How does being cheered on by the community of faith—past, present, and future—encourage us as we attempt to follow Jesus?
3. In Hebrews 12.1b, we are encouraged to “strip off every weight that slows us down” (NLT). While obviously our sin trips us up, the passage also implies the good things in our lives can slow us down too. What are some examples of the good that can get in the way of God’s best for us?
4. In Hebrews 12.1c, we are exhorted to “run with endurance the race God has set before us” (NLT). Clay mentions that the word translated “race” is agon, the Greek word often used for “contest” or “struggle.” What does this word say about the nature and quality of the race we run by faith in Christ?
5. In light of the total message of Hebrews 12.1, react to and reflect upon this quote from Eugene Peterson’s A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: “We assume that if something can be done at all, it can be done quickly and efficiently. Our attention spans have been conditioned by thirty-second commercials… It is not difficult in such a world to get a person interested in the message of the gospel; it is terrifically difficult to sustain the interest. Millions of people in our culture make decisions for Christ, but there is a dreadful attrition rate. Many claim to have been born again, but the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim.”
6. Hebrews 12.2-3 helps us immensely. How do we know what to strip off? Where to run? “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (NLT), and then it describes in detail how Jesus is better than any alternative (see 11:40). The verb translated as “keeping our eyes on” is a rare word that means “to view with undivided attention by looking away from every other object” (Bill Mounce Online Greek Dictionary). What examples does Clay give for this kind of seeing? How does focusing on Jesus provide the clarity, insight, and motivation we need?
7. Clay takes a lot of time to unfold a first-order, primary way we keep our eyes on Jesus. What does he say this way is? What does he say that this way is not? What particular examples does Clay provide for how we may keep our eyes on Christ at MDPC? How will you participate?8. The passage concludes, “Think of all the hostility he [Jesus] endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up” (NLT). How will you practice “a long obedience in the same direction” in your discipleship for Jesus and not give up?