Estimated Read Time: 6 min

Supporting Text: Hebrews 11, Hebrews 12:1–2, Matthew 14:22–33 (esp. v. 29), Matthew 28:18–20, Romans 6:14, Revelation 5

Picture yourself standing on the track at the Summer Olympics.

The stadium is alive. Tens of thousands of spectators fill the stands. Flags wave in the air. The roar of the crowd rises and falls like the crashing of ocean waves. Somewhere in the distance, an announcer calls the names of the competitors, but the words barely register. Months—no, years—of preparation have led to this single moment.

You have trained relentlessly for the 400-meter dash. Every early morning workout, every exhausting sprint, every hour in the weight room, every disciplined meal, every sacrifice was made with this race in mind. Your body has been conditioned. Your technique has been refined. There is nothing more you can do to prepare.

You remove your warm-up clothes, letting them fall to the ground. They served their purpose in training, but now they would only slow you down. You pull your lightweight racing uniform into place, tighten the laces on your spikes, and make your way toward your lane.

The rubberized track feels firm beneath your feet. The smell of the stadium hangs in the air. Your heartbeat quickens. You can feel the adrenaline beginning to surge through your body.
You kneel into the starting blocks and press your feet firmly against them. One hand... then the other... rests on the track beneath you. You inhale deeply, trying to steady your breathing. Under your breath, you whisper a simple prayer.
"Lord, give me strength."

The stadium suddenly grows quiet.

Your muscles tense.

Every distraction disappears.

Your eyes lock onto the lane stretching out before you.

You wait for the sound of the gun.

This is the picture that the writer of Hebrews places before us. The Christian is that athlete.
Everything up to this point has brought us to the starting line. Hebrews 11 has surrounded us with the testimony of faithful men and women who proved God faithful. Hebrews 12:1 has called us to strip away every weight and every sin that would hinder our progress.
Now we stand at the starting blocks – Prepared, Focused, and Ready to run.

Hebrews 12:2 tells us the following:

Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Notice that while the testimonies of those in Scripture and those around us are important, they are not to be our focus. Likewise, although we are commanded to lay aside every weight and sin, even those things are not to become our focus.

Other people, rules, possessions, past failures, or even past victories are not to be the object of our attention in this race.

Only one person is to be our focus: Jesus.

When we read the words "looking unto Jesus," we are being told to keep our attention fixed upon Him. The Greek word translated looking carries the idea of keeping one’s attention fixed. Furthermore, the participle is in the present tense, indicating continuous action. We are to keep our eyes fixed on Christ continually throughout the race – from the beginning and all the way to the end.

When you read this verse, your translation may describe Jesus as either the author or the founder of our faith. Certainly, both are faithful translations, but I think the context calls for something even more vivid.

After all, the writer has placed us into the scene of a race. The word Author is accurate, but it doesn't quite capture the imagery. The word Pioneer does.

Christ is the One who first blazed the trail of our salvation. He made the way where no way previously existed. Only He was worthy (Rev. 5). Only He could accomplish what no one else could. Through His death upon the Cross, He permanently secured our salvation by His own blood.

It is because of His work that we have such a great salvation. It is because of His work that we have victory over sin. It is because of His work that we possess the certain hope of eternal life with Him and with all who have placed their faith in Him.

This is ultimately why we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.

Everything begins with Him.

Let's return to a concept we introduced in the previous article regarding being surrounded by sin and how fixing our attention on Jesus gives us the power to overcome.
Think about Peter walking on the water.

Here was a man standing in the middle of the Sea of Galilee during a violent storm. The wind was howling. The waves were crashing. Danger surrounded him on every side.
When Jesus came walking across the water, Peter asked if he could come to Him.
Jesus simply replied,"Come." (Matt. 14:29)

As long as Peter kept his eyes fixed on Jesus, he walked in victory over what should have overwhelmed him. The moment he shifted his attention to the wind and the waves surrounding him, he began to sink.

The same principle is true for us.

Earlier, in Hebrews 12:1, we were told to lay aside the sin that so easily clings to us. In the previous article, I explained that the Greek paints the picture of sin surrounding the believer, seeking to distract and hinder progress in the race of faith.

Hebrews 12:2 now gives us the missing piece. How do we lay those things aside?

When temptation surrounds us and our weakness is exposed, we actively place our faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross. We deliberately turn our attention away from the temptation and fix it upon Him.

As we continue looking to Christ, sin loses its power to dominate us.

Paul expresses this same truth when he writes:

"For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." (Rom. 6:14)

Being able to say "no" to what is wrong is certainly necessary. But even more important is our willingness to continually say "yes" to Jesus.

Even if you are surrounded by sins that easily cling to you, do not give them the attention they seek. Instead, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.

• He is the Pioneer of our faith.
• He has already finished the race.
• He now stands at the finish line, ensuring that all who trust in Him finish their race well, just as He did.

In the next article, we will continue exploring two more reasons why we are to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus throughout our journey of faith.