Hebrews 12:1-2

12 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, ² keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Notes

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Welcome Recap

Imprint is using the metaphor of travelling partners to think about discipleship to Jesus and how we organize as a community. Following Jesus includes daily travelling partners as well as more occasional travelling partners. Some companions on the road stay together for a long time (Generosity Groups are a great example), while other travelling partners gather for a shorter period of time (Men’s and Women’s Bible studies) or for a specific purpose (Practicum). No disciple can commit to everything always, but every disciple needs to be in regular relationship with others as they follow Jesus. Discipleship is about relationship. Here are a few of the contexts we talked about this week:
1. This morning included a big update on the Imprint Woodinville and Bothell Launches, including new service times (9am and 11am). The biggest update included where we’re at with the launches, the needs we have for serving, and an invitation to respond with the survey on your chair.
2. Men’s and Women’s Bible studies are coming up in February and March. These short studies are a way to read and learn from God’s word in relationship with other people for a short period of time. Register for a Women’s Bible Study Here or for a Men’s Study Here.
3. Our next public Practicum class is called A Priesthood of Believers and begins on Wednesday, March 1st. This class will provide brief introductions to some of the most common mental health concerns folks encounter or experience. Then it will equip participants with one or two relational tools helpful for walking with someone through that particular area of concern. We intend for this class to provide the average member with enough competency to successfully and relationally navigate common mental health concerns with a member of their community while maintaining clarity on healthy boundaries and their role in that relationship.
4. The reason we are doing Practicum classes on mental health issues is to prepare the way for our next Gospel& project, The Gospel & Mental Health. Join us on Saturday March 25, 2023 for an evening of learning and talking about Mental Health in the church. We will be focusing on mental health and mental illness, loss, grief, and how to learn to live with suffering and move towards health. We are pleased to have licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Kevin Van Lant, from Biola University’s Talbot School Of Theology as our keynote speaker for this event. You can Register for The Gospel & Mental Health now, and we would strongly encourage you to do so as we will be opening this event up to partner churches and the community. There are only 160 spots left!
5. Student Ministries Winter Camps are coming up! Register now. Middle School Winter Blast is February 24-26th at Black Lake Bible camp. High School Advance: March 17-19 at Lake Retreat. The cost for each is $195, but scholarships are available!
6. Save the Date for Summer Camps: Kids Camp: June 3-4 at Camp Don Bosco in Carnation. Registration starts April 1. Student Summer Camp: July 31 - August 5 at Camp Bighorn in Montana. Registration starts April 2nd.

Sermon Recap: Pioneer and Perfecter

Read Hebrews 11 and spend a few minutes recapping the sermon.

The Big Theme in the sermon is: Disciples endure in faith by focusing on Jesus and orienting their whole lives to him.

Some Key Points
1. In Hebrews 10, the pastor exhorts the reader to faith that endures. Hebrews 11 depicts faith as a response to God’s self-disclosing Word with trust and loyalty. In Hebrews 12, the pastor depicts what enduring faith looks like, using Jesus as the example par excellence.
2. The call to endurance presupposes that the life of discipleship to Jesus is difficult and that faithfulness till the end is not guaranteed. In order to endure, the author of Hebrews commends two negative activities (v.1) and one positive activity (v.2) in this passage.
3. (v.1) Faith that endures must lay aside every hindrance. A “hindrance” is a non-moral impediment to, or distraction from, relationship with God. This is not an objective category of right or wrong but a subjective category of wisdom. So what is an impediment or distraction to one person may not have the same affect on another.
4. (v.1) Faith that endures must lay aside ensnaring sin. “Sin” is an objective moral category of both external behavior - wrong things a person does or right things a person fails to do - and internal attitudes and desires that are opposed to God’s character and activity in the world.
5. (v.2) Faith that endures must focus on Jesus. “Focusing on Jesus” is a whole-life orientation (loyalty) of trust towards Jesus. Faith trusts and organizes life around what he has accomplished through his life, death, resurrection, ascension, and session (rule), and anticipates his imminent return.
6. We considered the parable of the sower and the grounds, focusing on the seed amonth the thorny ground and noticing the parallels to this passage and the call to reorient focus and lives to Jesus. The worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and make a person unfruitful.
6. (v.2) Jesus is our example of endurance - he maintains trust and loyalty to God the Father by the power of the Spirit even when obedience required submission to death. But because of his faith, he trusted that death was not the end of his story or the story of God’s people, and that through death, God would not only rescue him, but all who would respond to him with loyal trust.
7. We are the “prize” Jesus endured to receive and he is the prize we will receive, if we endure in the race of faith.
8. The witness of church history tells us that the Spiritual Disciplines are one of the most reliable ways to keep your eyes on Jesus and endure in your pursuit of him. Spiritual Disciplines are a way of adopting the lifestyle of Jesus and training yourself to live with him, for him, and like him.
9. Here are a few resources that we have found helpful in learning about and adopting the practices of Jesus: Donald Whitney, Dallas Willard, James Wilhoit, Tish Harrison Warren, Dave Goetz, Mike Cosper, and Jamie Smith.

Sermon Discussion Questions

As you reflect on the passage and the sermon, remember to think in terms of knowing, feeling, and doing: What is revealed to be true, what you feel about that truth (desires/affections), and how you respond to it (behavior) individually and corporately.

How does the “great cloud of witnesses” motivate you to lay aside sin and hindrances?
How does the “great cloud of witnesses” motivate you to endure?
How does the “great cloud of witnesses” motivate you to focus on Jesus and order your life atround him?
What is a “hindrance” to your relationship with God?
What is a “hindrance” to your participation in the life of the community at Imprint?
How can you start laying that aside this week?
What is the sin you are most easily ensnared by?
Think about the parable of the sower - What worries of this age, deceitfulness of wealth, or desires for other things enter in and choke the word in your life and make you unfruitful?
How is wealth deceptive?
How does your relationship with money impact your relationship with God, God’s people, and the poor in your neighborhood or town?
How can you lay aside these thorns and/or ensnaring sin(s)?
What would your life look like if you were obsessed with Jesus?
What is your current pattern of spiritual disciplines?
What is one practice God is calling you to adopt this year?
How can this community encourage you in these things?