The Faith That Does Not Let Go

Introduction: when everything makes you want to give up

There are seasons when you look at your life and only one thought keeps coming back: give up. Give up on prayer, give up on your studies, give up on your marriage, give up on your church, sometimes even give up on the Lord. You are not alone. Most of the great men of God in the Bible wanted to give up. Jeremiah wanted to give up because the message was taking too long to arrive. Abraham wanted to give up because the promise was taking too long. Peter wanted to give up because he feared for his life. Moses wanted to give up because the people were too rebellious. Charles Spurgeon wanted to give up because he was sick.

David Pothier, in a message preached at Eglise Nouvelle Vie on Hebrews 12:1-3, picks up Winston Churchill's charge to the students of Harrow School in 1941: "Never, never, never give up." You must never, ever, ever give up, in small things as in great ones. And the author of the letter to the Hebrews says exactly the same thing to tired, discouraged Christians, some of whom dreamed of going back to their old lives: let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus.

This message is for you if you are tempted to give up. It gives you three concrete keys to hold on.

"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, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.", Hebrews 12:1-2 (LSG)

Outline of the message

1. Running in peace: lay aside every weight
2. Running in purity: lay aside the sin that clings
3. Running with endurance: eyes fixed on Jesus

1. Running in peace: lay aside every weight

A runner does not run with a 25 kilogram backpack on their shoulders. They set aside anything that is not useful. The author of Hebrews uses a strong verb: lay aside. Lay aside every weight. Lay aside bitterness. Lay aside the opinions of others that hold you back. Lay aside a victim mindset. You may have been a victim of something, but you are not called to live as a victim.

The next question is simple: does the Lord take our burdens, or do we have to give our burdens to the Lord? The Bible teaches that we must give our burdens to the Lord. He wants to take them, but he will not violate your will. You have to hand them over to him.

"Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.", 1 Peter 5:7 (LSG)

David Pothier shares a memory from Haiti in 2006: a flight moved up in the middle of the night, a mad dash through the airport with a laptop bag that weighed a ton, belt in one hand, pants falling down. A small weight over a short distance is nothing. A small weight over a long distance becomes impossible to carry. A small bitterness, a small regret, a small disappointment you cannot let go of eventually stops you from running. Give your burdens to the Lord.

2. Running in purity: lay aside the sin that clings

The text draws a distinction. Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that clings so closely. A weight is not a sin. A sin is not a weight, even though it produces one. The image, from ancient Greece where runners ran naked, is that of a garment that sticks to the body and prevents running. Sin is what sticks to your skin and keeps you from moving forward.

John Piper puts it bluntly: if you do not put your sin to death by the power of the Holy Spirit, your sin will eventually put you to death. David Pothier shares his own past struggle with pornography and describes this paradox: having the desire to run, the calling to run, but not being able to, because sin clings so closely.

He notes an important nuance: before God, all sin is sin, and the most serious sin is not sexual sin but pride. But the apostle Paul specifies that sexual sin carries a particular gravity because we sin against our own body (1 Corinthians 6:18). That sin clings to the skin differently. Do not treat it lightly. It keeps you from running.

3. Running with endurance: eyes fixed on Jesus

The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. The Greek word translated "race" is agon, which gave us our word "agony," and which referred to the stadium where the races took place. If you want to make it to the end, it will take endurance.

David Pothier reads an excerpt from John Wesley's journal: five Sundays in a row, driven out from church after church, until Sunday, June 6, in the evening, when, preaching in a field, 10,000 people came to hear the gospel. Many believers are very persevering in the natural realm (their work, their discipline, their training), but they have no spiritual perseverance. It is that kind of perseverance you need above all else.

"The one who endures to the end will be saved.", Matthew 24:13 (LSG)

Two examples to help you persevere. First, the cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 11: Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. They are in the stands like a crowd cheering you on: "We were there, in your place, now it is your turn to run." But the author does not say "eyes fixed on the heroes of the faith." He says "eyes fixed on Jesus," the hero of the faith. No runner wins a race by looking at the stands. They look at the finish line. And the finish line is Christ.

What are your eyes fixed on? On others, in comparison? On your regrets? On the opportunities you missed? On the injustices and abuse you suffered? On your discouragement, your depression, your anxiety? If your eyes are fixed on that, you will stop running. Examine your wounds, do not run from them, but do not fix your eyes on them. Fix your eyes on the One who can heal.

The story of Julie Moss and the illustration of Stephen

In 1982, at the Hawaii Ironman (2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, 26.2 miles of running), Julie Moss, 23 years old, was leading the women's race. About 200 meters from the finish line, she collapsed, dehydrated. She got up, fell, got up, fell again. The rule was clear: if her coach helped her, she would be disqualified. She waved him off. She lost first place just a few meters from the finish. Then, from the crowd, a voice shouted, "Come on, Julie!" One voice, then two, then the whole crowd. Julie began to crawl, tore her fingernails, and crossed the finish line crawling. The crowd erupted with joy, not because she finished first, but because she finished.

Today, that voice in the crowd is the voice of the Lord. Remember Stephen in Acts 7. As he was being stoned, he looked up and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. This is the only place after the ascension where Jesus is described as standing, everywhere else he is seated, because his work is finished. David Pothier offers a reading: Jesus could not stay seated when he saw his son Stephen persevering to the very end. He stood up to cheer him on. That same voice is calling your name today: do not let go.

Key takeaways

• Faith does not promise a life without trials. It promises victory in the middle of trials.
• A small weight over a long distance becomes impossible to carry. Unload it onto the Lord before it crushes you.
• Sin is not harmless. It wraps itself around you and keeps you from running, even when you desire to.
• Spiritual perseverance comes before natural perseverance. Without perseverance, there is no true faith.
• Look at the heroes of the faith to be inspired. Fix your eyes on Jesus to hold on to the end.

Personal application

1. What weight have you been carrying for too long that you have never formally handed over to the Lord?
2. What sin "clings" to you and keeps you from running freely? What do you need to concretely change this week?
3. What are your eyes fixed on right now: others, your regrets, your wounds, your anxiety, or Jesus?
4. In what area of your life are you tempted to give up (marriage, ministry, studies, prayer, purity, faith)? What would "not giving up" concretely look like tomorrow morning?
5. Who around you needs to hear today the voice shouting "do not give up"? What could you say or write to them?

Verses cited

• Hebrews 11 - The gallery of the heroes of the faith
• Hebrews 12:1-3 - Let us run with endurance, eyes fixed on Jesus
• 1 Peter 5:6-7 - Cast all your anxieties on him
• Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 - There is a time for everything (but never a time to give up)
• 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 - Flee sexual immorality
• Matthew 24:13 - The one who endures to the end will be saved
• Acts 7:54-60 - The martyrdom of Stephen, Jesus standing at the right hand of God
• John 16:33 - You will have tribulation in the world, but take heart

FAQ

What should I do when I really want to give up on everything?

Start by naming before God what you are carrying. Cast your anxieties on him (1 Peter 5:7) instead of chewing on them alone. Then identify one single thing you will not give up on today: your morning prayer, a text to a Christian friend, your presence at church on Sunday. Perseverance is lived one day at a time.

Does faith remove trials?

No. The Bible is very clear: Jesus himself announces that "you will have tribulation in the world" (John 16:33). What it promises is victory in the trial, not the absence of trial. Some of the strongest Christians are also the ones going through the heaviest battles.

Why fix your eyes on Jesus rather than on the heroes of the faith?

The heroes of the faith (Hebrews 11) are in the stands to encourage you, like a crowd around a stadium. But no runner crosses the finish line by looking at the spectators. The finish line is Christ. He is the founder and perfecter of your faith (Hebrews 12:2), not the figures who came before you.