Study the Clouds

Hebrews 12:1-3 * August 26, 2007 * Pentecost 13 * Pastor Matt Kiecker

“STUDY THE CLOUDS”

+ In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. +

It has been said that someone with their head in the clouds is someone who is kind of detached from reality. I suppose it is for this reason, then, that I have never spent too much time considering the clouds, or the absence thereof. But this is not necessarily a good thing.

When you stop for a moment to think about it, the way the weather works, with both the presence and absence of clouds, is quite an amazing process. When clouds are around, they fill and sometimes cover the sky to cut the heat and bring the needed rain. When they’re gone, the sunlight can get through and do its marvelous work. Both the presence and the absence of clouds is important.

Keep that in mind as you listen to God’s Word today.

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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In these first verses of Hebrews 12, the writer wants you to consider those who have preceded you in the faith as a bank of clouds. And he wants us to “Study the Clouds.” As we do so, we will see that their presence is important, and we will see that their absence is important.

At least to some degree, weather is important to us all. You back-yard gardeners, beach-goers and ball-players know how much of an impact the weather can make. The weather we currently experience affects our plans and our moods. And a change in weather can make a huge difference.

So considering the importance of the weather, it is worthwhile for us to notice the essential part that clouds play in it. They come, of course, in various shapes and sizes and textures.

But of all the kinds of clouds, perhaps the most important are the ones that keep the earth cool and replenish the earth’s water supply. It is this rain-type of cloud that the writer to the Hebrews wants you to have in mind as he writes, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…” This sentence comes right at the heals of one of the more recognizable chapters in all of God’s Word. Hebrews 11, you may recall, is a list, more than a list, it is a roster of notable Old Testament believers. These people of faith lived their lives in expectation of the fulfillment of God’s promises.

Now, having given this roster, the writer wants you now to imagine yourself in the middle of a great arena. There you are, it’s the Olympics, and you are a marathon runner, but you’re only just reaching your stride. As you continue along you take a look around yourself. What do you see? You see a virtual sea of spectators, a cloud bank hardly rivaled by the thick soup of a San Francisco or London fog. But more than this, they are all former marathon runners! And they are all rooting for you.

Just like it is important, the way that clouds in the sky come along and serve their purpose here on earth, this cloud bank that the writer refers to here is also important. What makes it important is they way it is described here. Listen again as the writer calls them a “great cloud of witnesses.”

There are some amazing things about coming to one’s own home congregation to preach. Especially as part of this type of ongoing anniversary celebration, I once again get to see those and think about those who at one time shared God’s Word with me. In the past they were faithful to God’s Word. They gave to me the gift of that life-giving message of Christ crucified. But you don’t have to be in my position to realize this. For all of us, there are those who have gone before, a pastor or a teacher or parent or friend, someone who gave the treasure of the gospel to us, and the life of faith that comes along with it.

For just a moment think about these strong believers who have gone before us. When you look at them do you ever think that they must have had it easier than we do? After all, in this world we live in today, there’s such easy access to sin. And there are so few supportive friends. And no one demands less time of me so that I can make more time for God. Have you ever found yourself thinking that no one has had to face what I have to face in living the Christian life? That was the danger for these Hebrew Christians. Facing the physical persecution of the early church, they literally felt how difficult persevering in faith can be. So the temptation was there, even as it is for us today, to turn their back on God and his promises in the face of these things.

When you face the difficulty and struggle that a life of faith calls for, how do you respond? Do you grumble at the load? Do you shudder at the reality that a faithful confessioin of Jesus as only true God and Savior will, as he told us in the Gospel today, cause divisions, maybe even in your own family? Do you find yourself denying him to serve yourself because it seems so much easier and more pleasant?

Notice the way that the writer addresses this. First, in no way does he make light of the situation. Instead he gave them an honest message. You know that race you’re in, he said, this isn’t a sprint, it is a life long marathon. It will be difficult, and painful. So you need to be mindful of the dangers surrounding you. He wrote, “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.” In order to endure in this race, eliminate everything that might hinder you. Even when it’s cold outside, a marathon runner who wants to finish wears as little clothing as possible. It gets in the way and slows a person down.

So it is for you, Christian. Seek that sin that wants to trip you up on the track and avoid it with all costs. Persevere in the faith you have been given. And as you do so, take this encouraging gift from God. These witnesses surrounding you, so thick as a bank of clouds, the believers of old, even the former generations here at St. John’s, these are the ones who lived a life of faith that persevered. This speaks volumes. For God who kept them faithful until the end of their race will do the same for you.

What a treasure to have this cloud of witnesses surrounding! Their presence is no doubt extremely important. They give us encouragement as we face the struggles of living as God’s children, calling out to us, “Don’t give up”. But there’s something that this cloud cannot do. Their presence cannot empower us to complete this race. For this, now the absence of the clouds is even more important.

I believe that you in this area have had similar weather recently to what we have been experiencing. Over the past couple of weeks we’ve had rounds of storm after storm. Earlier this week when the clouds finally broke it was wonderful to bask in the glowing sun once again. With the sunlight the growth of my garden and lawn can really take off, once again.

The race that is marked out before us as Christians, as we have seen, is going to be a long-term and difficult race. So as all successful contestants do, we need to keep our focus where it belongs. But where does it belong? There are really only two possible answers to that question: On Jesus, or on anything else.

So pause for a second and ask yourself, “When it comes to my faith, where has my focus been.” Has it been on what you are doing for God? Have you been looking inside yourself for the strength, hoping that somehow you will get your faith strong enough to endure to the end? Has this left you wondering at times, maybe even doubting whether you’ve done enough? That is what happens when the runner in this race of faith focuses on himself. Here, there is no certainty. Here, there are sinful mistakes and missteps, and stumbling and falling. When we look at our sin we see that we do not have what it takes to persevere, and we deserve no prize at the end of the race.

So how will we persevere and gain the prize? There is a place where our focus belongs. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,” the writer says, “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.”

The witness clouds surrounding give testimony of what the power of God is capable of. They themselves are not a source of power. Just as it is the sun in the sky that sheds its light to make the plants on earth grow, the power that gave those who have gone before victory, and indeed that gives us victory, is found only in Christ. He is, as the writer here says, “The author and perfecter of our faith.” Jesus, the object that our faith clings to, he did what we are unable to do. He persevered in total devotion to God; resisted every temptation to which we fall.

And Jesus our Savior is the God-man who joyfully took the sorrow, the spite, the shame of a death covered by your sins and my sins and the sins of this entire world that had separated us from our God. Jesus went to hell for me, even for my weaknesses, because he would not go to heaven without me. That’s where we keep our focus as we run this race. And as we do so, he will bring us to the finish line. “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart,” we read. Jesus has given us the gift of faith which clings to his promise of forgiveness. Jesus continues to keep us in faith which clings to his promise of forgiveness. And Jesus will bring us to the culmination of our faith, the salvation of our souls.

In the meantime, see what is happening, and humbly thank God for being a part of it. As you well know, fellow Christians, you would not be here as members of St. John’s or as members of God’s family if someone had not faithfully passed God’s Word along to you. These are your cloud of witnesses.

But you today are currently the living proof that God’s Word and promises continue to be powerful to create and preserve faith. So today you have the goal of pointing others, so many who are dying around you, not to the clouds but to the Son of God. Continue to cling to his message faithfully and to proclaim it to others, for this is the only message that gives eternal life. And know that one day you will not be here, but by the grace of God you will be among that cloud of witnesses, the great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb, wearing the robes made white in the blood of the Lamb, and singing his song of salvation forever and ever. Amen.