Keeping Focus
Hebrews 2:5-3:6

"Fix your thoughts on Jesus," the author of Hebrews urges. What does it mean to focus our thoughts on Jesus, and what happens when we do? How will focussing on Jesus help us in the everyday struggles of life?

He shows us what we were meant to be (2:5-9)

He knows our sufferings (2:10-15)

He has faced temptations like ours (2:17-18; see also 4:15)

He models faithfulness (3:2-6)

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To review: We're in a series, studying the book of Hebrews, and looking at the foundations of a Lasting Faith. We're trying to find principles that will help us to set spiritual priorities to build a solid foundation.


Our family just started soccer this week in a big way. All three of our kids are on town teams -- all on different teams, mind you. I was not much looking forward to this -- but it could not come soon enough for Stephen. Stephen has just turned 6 and he is already a sports addict. Don't ask me where he got it from -- I have NO idea -- although I do have a strong suspicion that Carol's side of the family might be responsible.

So we come to Wednesday -- Stephen's second practice is scheduled for 6 p.m. After lunch he asks -- Mom, how many hours until soccer.

He did not stop thinking about soccer ALL afternoon. Soccer was consuming all of his attention. It was all he could think about. And because it was all he could think about it was all he could talk about.

What do you spend your time thinking about? What consumes your thought life? You have often heard it said "you are what you eat." But "You are what you think" would be more accurate. What we spend our time thinking about shapes our thoughts, our emotions, our attitudes -- and our behavior. Stephen's behavior was certainly affected Wednesday afternoon.

2. Hebrews 3:1 urges us to focus on Jesus

Our scripture passage today has something to say about the focus of our thoughts -- So let's look at the book of Hebrews, ch. 2 -- that will be on p. 1185 in our church Bibles. We'll start at chapter 2 verse 5, after the heading "Jesus made like his brothers" and we'll read through to chapter 3 verse 6.

It's not hard to find the practical exhortation in this passage -- 3:1 fix your thoughts on Jesus. What does the phrase fix your thoughts mean? Well, it means quite simply to look intently at something. Think about how you look at a painting in an art gallery -- or better yet, think about the way an artist looks at the model they are drawing or painting -- studying ever angle -- trying to reproduce on paper or on canvas something of the beauty of the original.

That is actually a really good analogy, because the point of fixing our thoughts on Jesus is simply this: To reproduce on the canvas of our lives the beauty that we see in him. (wow, that sounds pretty good. Eloquence doesn't come all that easily, maybe I should say it again.) We focus on Jesus in order to become like Him. And how can we become like him unless we study him, observe him, imitate him.

Now that's all very well, you might say. Being like Jesus sounds cool, but I don't know about this "fixing thoughts business." I mean, my friends already think I'm weird already and now you tell me I'm supposed to wander around, head in the clouds, humming worship songs and focussing intently on Jesus. I'll probably be walking into telephone poles -- and what about when I'm driving. I know that the Bible says that we're a peculiar people, but somehow I had hoped that we didn't need to take that verse quite so literally.

Fair enough. The point of fixing our thoughts on Jesus is not to take ourselves out of the world -- but to bring Jesus into it. You see Jesus belongs squarely in your every day world. There is NO human situation to which he is irrelevant. There is no set of circumstances where he does not belong.

To prove this I have devised for you a simple but ingenious series of experiments to test the relevance of fixing our thoughts on Jesus:

1. Let's start with the Monday morning test.

Your alarm clock goes off. It's Monday morning. Need I say more? You face another day of the same old thing. Same old job, same old crotchety boss -- or same droning professors -- or same whiny kids (not my kids of course, my kids never whine). What on earth could be the purpose of this existence. Is there any reason to get up in the morning? Is your life going anywhere? Is there any purpose.

Somehow you drag yourself out of bed. You even manage to pull out your Bible -- and it just happens to fall open to, wouldn't you know it, Hebrews chapter 2. You stare bleary eyed at the page, and your eye falls on verse 6

What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Good question. My feelings precisely. But I thought the Bible was supposed to be, like, encouraging?

You made him a little lower than the Angels.
Well, yes, I guess I can agree with that too. I would have said ALOT lower than the angels, but who am I to quibble with God.

You crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet. In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him.
Now wait a minute. That I don't get. It's monday morning, after all. I certainly don't feel crowned with glory and honor -- in fact it seems likely to be a very bad hair day. And nothing is under MY feet except my cat.

Ah, but this next verse is more realistic:

Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
Sure don't. That's true enough.

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with Glory and Honor because he suffered death.

You see, when we look ourselves and our own lives, we see weakness and failure and sin. But when we look at Jesus, we see what we as human beings were meant to be -- and what we will yet become. You and I are immortal beings destined to be children of God.

When you wake up Monday morning, or any morning, and wonder what purpose there is in life, and what value you could possibly have -- focus on Jesus, who reminds us that we have an eternal destiny and a glorious future as children of God.

2. Next experiment: Let's call it the smashed thumb test.

There is nothing like pain to dim a beautiful day. You might have woken up chipper and happy -- at peace with the world -- but just put your thumb right here and let me hit this hammer on it and we can take care of that.

The pain doesn't have to be physical either. A harsh word from someone you love or a betrayal by someone you trusted can blot out the sun just as well.

What relevance does fixing our eyes on Jesus have when we struggle with pain?

Verse 10: In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.

What's that? God had to make Jesus perfect through suffering? Wasn't he perfect already. Well, he was. But in order to be qualified to lead us to salvation Jesus had to suffer. Why? I think it was to teach us that there can be purpose in pain, and to show us how to suffer.

When you smash your thumb there essentially two responses: You can swear -- curse God -- OR, you learn from it. The pain is no less pleasant either way, but the result in our lives is very different. One way leads away from God, the other to salvation.

Pain is bad, but it is not meaningless. Pain is bad, but its results can be good. By looking at Jesus, by being reminded of his sufferings, we can learn how to put our own pain in perspective. Focus on Jesus when you suffer pain -- physical and emotional -- and be reminded that he also suffered and that because of him your suffering is not meaningless but is preparing you for salvation.


3. Let's move on: The Temptation experiment

Our culture trivializes temptation. We laugh about how I knew I shouldn't but, just couldn't resist the temptation to buy that new accessory for my computer. In fact we glorify desire and temptation -- make Gods of them. Indulge yourself. Give in to temptation. We name icecream sundays after it. What could be more harmless.

But in reality temptation is deadly. Anyone who has struggled it quit smoking knows this. So does anyone recovering from Alcoholism, or anyone struggling with credit card debts, or an addiction to pornography. Temptation is an attraction to sin -- and sin will destroy us.

How can fixing our thoughts on Jesus help us when we face temptation?

Verse 18: Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Look too at 4:15 -- For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin.

Jesus suffered every kind of temptation -- temptation to greed, lust, self-indulgence, hate, gossip, slander. Yet he was without sin.

Well, that's easy enough, you might say. After all, he was perfect, and you spent a whole sermon last time telling us that he was God. Wait a minute. The whole point of this chapter in Hebrews is to tell us that Jesus was in every way HUMAN. That means his temptations were just as real as yours and he had no special power that made him immune to their force. Jesus as a human being -- like us in every way -- proved that we no longer have to be slaves to our desires.

You see the great power of temptation is the lie that it is irresistable -- that resistance is futile. Resisting temptation is not futile. And the first step in dealing with temptation should be to focus on Jesus, through whom we have victory over sin.


4. Finally, The burn-out test -- or since we started with Monday morning shall we call it the Sunday morning test.

This one is uniquely applicable to Stony Brook. Let's imagine a normal sort of week for a Stony Brook person. On Monday you hosted a home-based fellowship Bible Study -- you cooked the meal, led singing, taught the Bible Study, and stayed up till midnight doing the dishes. On Tuesday you spent two hours in Music rehearsal and worship planning. On Wednesday you spent two hours painting in the library downstairs. Thursday you met with someone in your HBF who you've had a difficult time getting along with to try to reconcile. Friday and Saturday you spent on your Sunday School lesson.

Now its Sunday morning and you're really looking forward to worship, right? Wrong, because your Home Based Fellowship is on nursery duty and everyone else in the group is sick.

How can fixing your eyes on Jesus help you when you are being stretched to the limit in your service?

Chapter 3, verse 1: Fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house.

And further along in verse 6: And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

Christ's example of faithfulness is our example when we are tempted to give up and give in.


Conclusion

Fix your thoughts on Jesus -- when you wonder whether there is any purpose in life, when you face pain, when you struggle with temptation, when you're ready to give up -- Fix your thoughts on Jesus who knows all of your struggles, who can sympathize with all of your weaknesses.