I enjoy visiting baseball stadiums—especially stadiums that I have not visited previously. One goal in life is to try to see every MLB stadium in America. I have seen most of them already—but not all. My favorite stadium is Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Aside from being a fan of the Dodgers, the stadium is a place where you can observe some fascinating views of downtown Los Angeles, nearby mountain ranges and the skyline of skyscrapers that dot the landscape of America’s second-largest city. One of the special moments of live sporting events is the roar of the crowd when a player or team does something amazing. At times, the roar and cheering can be so loud that you can feel the stadium move beneath and around you. I will never forget attending the World Series with my son and another friend in Los Angeles in October, 2017 when the atmosphere and noise were unlike anything else that I have ever seen or heard in sports.
It is not an accident that the Bible uses the example of a cheering cloud of witnesses to encourage us in our faith. Imagine for a moment, a large and passionate crowd of saints and the saved through the ages cheering you on in your faith and walk with the Lord. The Bible gives us such an example in Hebrews 12:1-2. The Bible says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
What an encouragement to us! Those who have already died in Christ and gone to be with Him are cheering us on—exhorting us to run the good race, fight the good fight and to keep the faith. Max Lucado has written that “the writer of Hebrews envisioned a great stadium of spiritual athletes.” He goes on to suggest that teachers, nurses, coaches, farmers, soldiers, carpenters, business leaders, restaurant servers and homemakers who knew and loved the Lord Jesus now encourage and exhort us on from heaven. They are cheering us on today! We are not running the race of faith by ourselves or in a solitary fashion. We are being cheered on by those who have finished their races and fulfilled the Lord’s plans for their lives.
But in life today, we can also think about those faithful followers of Christ who cheer us on and encourage us today. They mentor us. They teach us. They come alongside us in our times of weariness and difficulty. Likewise, there could be newer, younger and less mature believers who are in need of your encouragement and support today. Invest in the lives of others. Exhort and extol them on as they grow in Christ and walk with Him. Max Lucado also referenced a powerful painting by artist Ron DiCianni entitled The Cloud of Witnesses (Google this painting to see just how amazingly and stunningly the artist seems to capture the heart of Hebrews 12:1). It is an image of a preacher, teacher or evangelist who is exhorting listeners with God’s Word while surrounded by the great figures of the Bible who once stood where this man is now standing. We are not alone in our faith and walk with the Lord!
Hebrews reminds us to cast aside anything and everything that keeps us from the race we are called to run. Look away from sin. Fix your eyes on Christ and not the lesser things that the enemy offers as enticements. Push aside the things that can entangle you like old habits, old ways of thinking, fruitless pursuits and the waste of time and energy on trivial things. Let God renew your mind, heart and life by His sustaining grace and power. As Peter wrote, “Therefore rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind” (1 Peter 2:1). And as you endeavor to rid yourselves of such things, remember there is a great cloud (and crowd!) of witnesses cheering you on and exhorting you to finish the race the Lord has for you! Have a great Thursday! We’ll study the Bible this Sunday at 9:45am and worship at 10:55am!
It is not an accident that the Bible uses the example of a cheering cloud of witnesses to encourage us in our faith. Imagine for a moment, a large and passionate crowd of saints and the saved through the ages cheering you on in your faith and walk with the Lord. The Bible gives us such an example in Hebrews 12:1-2. The Bible says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
What an encouragement to us! Those who have already died in Christ and gone to be with Him are cheering us on—exhorting us to run the good race, fight the good fight and to keep the faith. Max Lucado has written that “the writer of Hebrews envisioned a great stadium of spiritual athletes.” He goes on to suggest that teachers, nurses, coaches, farmers, soldiers, carpenters, business leaders, restaurant servers and homemakers who knew and loved the Lord Jesus now encourage and exhort us on from heaven. They are cheering us on today! We are not running the race of faith by ourselves or in a solitary fashion. We are being cheered on by those who have finished their races and fulfilled the Lord’s plans for their lives.
But in life today, we can also think about those faithful followers of Christ who cheer us on and encourage us today. They mentor us. They teach us. They come alongside us in our times of weariness and difficulty. Likewise, there could be newer, younger and less mature believers who are in need of your encouragement and support today. Invest in the lives of others. Exhort and extol them on as they grow in Christ and walk with Him. Max Lucado also referenced a powerful painting by artist Ron DiCianni entitled The Cloud of Witnesses (Google this painting to see just how amazingly and stunningly the artist seems to capture the heart of Hebrews 12:1). It is an image of a preacher, teacher or evangelist who is exhorting listeners with God’s Word while surrounded by the great figures of the Bible who once stood where this man is now standing. We are not alone in our faith and walk with the Lord!
Hebrews reminds us to cast aside anything and everything that keeps us from the race we are called to run. Look away from sin. Fix your eyes on Christ and not the lesser things that the enemy offers as enticements. Push aside the things that can entangle you like old habits, old ways of thinking, fruitless pursuits and the waste of time and energy on trivial things. Let God renew your mind, heart and life by His sustaining grace and power. As Peter wrote, “Therefore rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind” (1 Peter 2:1). And as you endeavor to rid yourselves of such things, remember there is a great cloud (and crowd!) of witnesses cheering you on and exhorting you to finish the race the Lord has for you! Have a great Thursday! We’ll study the Bible this Sunday at 9:45am and worship at 10:55am!
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