This verse is worth memorizing:

Hebrews 12   1Therefore, 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.  2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

 

Today, let’s talk about:

“so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

 

I have to think that Jesus was devastated as He sat on the hill on Gethsemane, alone.  Wouldn’t He have had to wonder:

“If I don’t have any friends now, then when will I have a friend?”

 

To me, “growing weary and losing heart” has to look a lot like hopelessness.

 

And I have to believe that Jesus got a full helping of sabotage that would bring all of us to:

Hopelessness

 

What did He do with it?  He quoted scripture and made a verbal commitment to God when things got tough.  He endured it and renewed His faith.  

 

 

Before I get to that, I want to stay in Hopelessness for a bit.

 

 

When I hit Hopelessness, the term “bottomless pit” makes perfect sense to me.

 

When we lost my wife’s mom, when my father was dying, and when my mom was dying I went to that place.  There were times when I wondered if I would be able to climb out of it.

 

But I am not just limited to those instances.  I can find hopelessness at work, as a parent, as a husband, as a teacher, and as a coach.

 

I think the enemy has a master’s degree in how to inflict it.

 

 

But our God, our Jesus, has looked Hopelessness in the face.  And He has defeated it.

 

It must be devastating to watch those you love leave you in the hands of the very devil that you are trying to save them from.

 

Abandoned, Betrayed, and Falsely Accused, He was left to deal with the full punishment of all man.

 

For all the times that we look to heaven and say “where are you God?” there must be millions of times where He could have said the same to us.

 

But Jesus declared war not just on sin, and Satan, and death, I have to believe that He declared war on Hopelessness.

 

When He got on a donkey and rode into Jerusalem, and they weren’t expecting it—-even though Daniel told them the exact day that He was coming——–He still lived in hope.

When Peter ran away, He found hope.

When men betrayed Him, He stood in hope.

When He struggled to breathe and dealt with the writhing pain of crucifixion and watched them mock Him, He hung onto hope.

When Thomas doubted, and the Pharisees accused, and even when His own brother chastised Him, He walked in hope.

 

 

 

Hebrews 11:1 says that “Faith is being sure of what we hope for …”  Again—how many times have we lacked so much faith—-that we didn’t even know what to hope for?

 

 

As I was pondering “hope” on the way to church yesterday, this song came on in the car.

 

I have heard it many times but not truly listened to it.

 

It makes me want to run into a stadium full of worshippers and jump up and down to this blaring worship song.

 

Jesus is worth worshipping.

He is worth relying on.

He is worth hoping for.

When the end comes—He will come with it.

And He will do something to the end that none of us can fathom.

He will make it a new beginning.

 

 

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB2YrV_O24M

 

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Coach J