We Can Be Like Them

Guest (Male): Here is Dr. Michael Youssef with words of challenge and inspiration from Hebrews chapter 12.
Dr. Michael Youssef: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and the 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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Guest (Male): Thank you for taking time to join listeners across six continents for Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, international Bible teacher and author of more than 50 inspirational Bible-centered books. Each word in the Bible, from the very first page in Genesis to the very last in Revelation, points to Jesus. The real-life people that we read about in the pages in between are people who were just like us, men and women growing in faith as they journey through life. Today on Leading the Way, Dr. Youssef wraps up his series, They Were Just Like Us, where he's helping you get to know people mentioned in the Faith Hall of Fame and how you can be a faith influencer to those in your life. So let's listen together as Dr. Michael Youssef begins today's teaching.
Dr. Michael Youssef: We all need motivation. We all appreciate motivation. And there's nothing wrong with motivating ourselves and others. In fact, as many of you know, the motivation industry in this country is a multi-billion dollar industry. But the question is: what really motivates us? Now, there are some people who are motivated by greed. That's basically what motivates their life. Others are motivated by just sheer survival. There are others who are motivated by fear. In fact, I read this week about the company that was implementing a pension plan to which each employee was going to contribute. And they made the announcement, but there was one man who refused to sign. His name is Sam. And Sam said, "I have read the fine print and I just don't think it's going to be paying off for me. I'm not going to do it." Well, the problem is for the plan to work, 100% of the employees have to sign on the plan. So obviously his colleagues went over and began to beg him, "Please, Sam, sign because we all have to be in this thing together." He said, "No, I'm not signing." So his supervisor came in and said, "Now, Sam, please sign the plan. We need you to sign this plan." He said, "No, I'm not going to do it." Finally, Sam got invited into the president's office. And the president put the papers in front of Sam and he said, "Sam, you need to sign these papers or else I'm going to fire you." Upon which Sam took the pen and signed his name. And so the president sort of sat back and he said, "Now, Sam, that you have signed, why in heaven's name didn't you sign the first time we asked you to?" He said, "Well, nobody explained it to me as clearly as you did." Some are motivated by fear. But then there is another motivation, and that is biblical motivation. That's the motivation that you find in the scripture from cover to cover, and that is the motivation by rewards. And that motivation is exactly the one that the Bible talks about. Now, I've got to tell you that through the years in ministry, I have met a lot of people in different continents who bristle when they hear the word "reward." And false modesty says, "Well, I'm not serving the Lord for the reward. I am not giving of myself for a reward. I'm not walking the walk of faith for any reward. I'm not looking for a reward." Well, I don't want to be critical here, but listen to me. The truth is this: the Bible from cover to cover talks about reward. Who am I that is going to scorn that? In fact, if you read the seven letters that Jesus sent to the seven churches in Asia Minor that are in the first part of the book of Revelation, every one of them end up with a promise of a reward. It's right there in the scripture. In the last several messages, we have been seeing one person after another from the entire chapter 11 of the Epistle to the Hebrews. One after another, we have been seeing these people being commended or in a sense rewarded for their walk of faith. Again and again in the scripture it says by faith Abel, by faith Enoch, by faith Noah, by faith Abraham, by faith Moses. And we saw throughout that series of messages that these people were not perfect in any way, that they were not infallible in any way. No, in fact, we saw in every case how they have failed and how they made a mess of things and how they stumbled all over the place. And that is why we entitled that series of messages, They Were Just Like Us. They make a mess of things. And today's message is really the capstone of that series of messages and it comes from the book of Hebrews chapter 12, beginning at verse one, the first three verses. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and the 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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, why? So that you will not grow weary and lose heart." The bottom line of those three verses of Hebrews 12 is that we too can and must live by faith. That we too can and must succeed in the walk of faith. That we too can and must excel in our walk of faith. That we too can and must be examples of faith living. That we too can and must be role models for others to follow in the faith walk. In fact, that is exactly the lesson that the Holy Spirit is bringing out of those three verses and teaching us. After he went through chapter 11 telling us about these folks, and then he goes immediately to chapter 12 and says, "Therefore." When you see the word "therefore," you must find out what it is there for. And here the word "therefore" is saying, after all that you've learned from Hebrews 11, therefore, since we are surrounded by these examples of faith, since we have an abundance of examples of men and women of faith of old, since we can see their example very clearly from their lives and the word of God, everywhere we turn, we see these examples. Therefore, let's emulate them. Let's be like them. How? By running our race as well as they did theirs. Now, I cannot leave verse one of chapter 12 without at least letting you know, because I know some of you probably already thinking it, and you probably heard it from some preachers. There are some preachers and some interpreters who say that when we talk about surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, all the saints of old who have gone on to glory are watching us and watching everything we do. Now, I've got news for you. There is no evidence in the scripture that this is the case. There is no evidence in the scripture that they are watching us. Some people think they're really like in a stadium stand, standing there and cheering us on. Well, that's more New Age actually, or mystic type of thinking, than it is biblical. We don't have those evidence that those who have gone before us are really seeing us and seeing what we're doing. But the author of Hebrews wants us to learn one thing. He wants us to know this. He wants us to know that the example that they have set before us is the thing that should cheer us on. That the example of faith that they have set before us should motivate us to walk and live by faith. When we fail and we think we cannot get up again, we need to ask ourselves and we need to remind ourselves of them and say to ourselves, "If they did it, so can we." When you go through dark patches in life, and as we all do, and we are tempted to give up, their example should say to us, "If they did it with all of their faults that we have been seeing, so can we." Every time you come face to face with the impossibilities in life and you feel inadequate, their example should remind you that they too felt inadequate, but if they allowed not their inadequacy to stop them from having victory, so can we. And that's exactly what those verses mean. Now, several things I want to tell you very quickly about those three verses. Number one, he's trying to tell us that the Christian faith is a race, is a marathon. Now many believers don't think that. Some Christians don't want to think that they are running in a race. Many Christians don't understand that the Christian life is a marathon. From the day you say yes to Jesus to the day you see him face to face, you are running a marathon. Now, here's what I have seen through the years. A lot of Christians are sprinters. You know what I'm talking about? They are sprinters. They will sprint hard and fast. And when they are sprinting, my goodness, you see them everywhere. Every Bible study in the city, every group, and they're witnessing, they're working, and at prayer meetings and every service, they're everywhere. They're sprinting hard. And then they get exhausted. They kind of, find out what the old boy's going to say today, but I'm just not going to get involved. I'm tired. I'm weary. And they collapse in the run. Then somebody comes along the way, they hear a word of God or encouragement from here or there, and then they get up again and they start sprinting again. And they go hard and fast, hard and fast, and then they get exhausted again. And the whole Christian life is sprinting and exhaustion, sprinting and exhaustion. Now, the author of the book of Hebrews is saying that is a problem. The Christian life is not a sprint and tired, sprint and tired. Although they're sitting on the right track because they are saved and they're going to heaven, so they are on the right track. But the problem is, when you sit on the track, you are risking being run over. Please hear me right on this one. The important thing about the Christian race is not the speed by which you run, but the consistency of your run. So the Christian life, first of all, is a marathon. Secondly, it is a weightless marathon. There are some Christians who are running the race carrying all sorts of baggage with them, let alone weight. And so they get exhausted. And that is why Hebrews 12:1 said, "Let us lay aside every encumbrance, every weight." Carrying excess weight is the biggest hindrance for any runner. Ask them, they'll tell you. And I don't know what weight are you carrying today. You know and God knows. I don't know what weight you're carrying that is hindering you from running the marathon, the race for Christ. For some of you, it could be the weight of anxiety and worry that is keeping you weighed down from being an effective witness and ambassador for Jesus Christ. To some, it may be the weight of unforgiveness and bitterness that is being harbored inside of you that is grounding your race to a halt. To others, it is the weight of wanting to accumulate more and more and more, and the more you get the less satisfied and contented you are, and that is crushing you from your race and running it. Others, it is the weight of a secret and unconfessed sin. It's sapping your spiritual energy and you're not able to run the race. For others, it is doubt of God's ability to meet all of your needs in the riches of Christ Jesus. Whatever it is that's weighing you down, you can cast it off today. Notice the writer to the Hebrews said, "Let us lay aside the hindrance or weight and the sin that is easily entangling us or surrounding us." You see, you don't have to go around looking for these sins that weigh you down and render you ineffective for Jesus Christ and hamper you and make you unproductive and unfruitful for the kingdom of God. You don't have to go running around looking for these things that are like ball and chain that are keeping you from running the race and winning the race. Those sins are surrounding us. They're everywhere we go and everywhere we turn. And that is why those who have gone before us should motivate us. Their example should motivate us to do what? By saying, "They overcame, so can I." And that is why Jesus said to anyone who's going to come and follow him is going to enter through the narrow door. Not a big wide door with all your luggage and with all your baggage and with all your stuff that you're carrying. Try to get through a narrow door with all the baggage. You can't do it. But then in verse two, it says here the greatest motivation of all is Jesus. Verse two, "Fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and the completer of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross." Here's what he's saying. If you are looking for a motivational speaker to prep you up, look no further than Jesus. If you are looking for a motivation for your life, look no further than Jesus. If you are looking for a true role model of faith to encourage you along the race, look no further than Jesus. But he's saying more than that. He's saying that most of our problems—and listen, your pastor is included in this—most of our problems that we have, most of the chains that seem to bind us from running the race and winning the race, most of the heavyweight that we're carrying, most of that which keeps us from running well for Christ is a preoccupation with self. That's really what he's saying here. I'm talking about those who spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on themselves. You know, how they look, what others think of them, and how others are running the race and they always trying to find out who's doing what and they're busybodies. You know what I'm talking about? Comparing themselves with others all the time, measuring themselves with others all the time. Listen, he is saying this is a sure formula that will get you to take your eyes off where they should be and focus them where they should not be. Listen to me. Next to body weight, a runner cannot afford a split second of looking anywhere else except the finish line. I mean, if he starts looking at the tracks as he was running, that spells trouble. If he starts looking to the sides and see how far are the other runners, that's trouble. He has to keep his or her eyes on the finishing line. Who is the finishing line? Jesus. He's our finishing line. He is the provider of faith. He is the wellspring of faith. He is the originator of faith. He is the giver of all faith. He is the focus of faith. And when you focus on him, when you gaze at him, when you concentrate on him, when you spend adequate time with him, when you fix your eyes on him, you will joyfully make it to the finish line. Let me ask you this. Have you ever seen a runner who's happy and smiling and it's just like everything is just great and dandy? Have you ever seen one? I'd like to see him. Now, it doesn't mean that they're not experiencing satisfaction from running. No. Why? Because running is a serious business. And Jesus did not run the race of faith just for the joy of it, although he had great satisfaction in it. He had great satisfaction in seeing the sick healed, in seeing the blind can see again and the lame walk again, and seeing the dead rise and seeing the cripple walk and the lepers healed and lives transformed. There was a satisfaction in that. But he is telling us here his running the race of faith, it was an endurance. He endured Satan's temptation. He endured ridicule. He endured fierce opposition. He endured misunderstandings. He endured scorn and blasphemy. He endured torture, and yes, he endured the cross itself. Why? Go no further than the scripture for that answer. Because Jesus was motivated by the glory that was awaiting him. He was motivated by the throne of God that is awaiting him. He was motivated by the majesty and the reigning and the ruling on the rim of the universe that is awaiting him. You say, "Well, what should motivate me to run the Christian race consistently as a marathon and not a sprinter? What motivates me?" Here's the answer. It blows one's mind, but it's the truth. The same motivation that Jesus had. I mean, it's hard to believe this. That Jesus's reward is your reward. That Jesus's prize is your prize. That Jesus's inheritance is your inheritance. And when you focus on this, it's mind-boggling, and it will keep you running, keep on persevering, keep on getting up, keep on moving forward. Verse three. "For consider him," or think about him, "who has endured hostility by sinners so that you may not grow weary and lose heart." My beloved friend, some of you sprinters, maybe you're in the stage when you're sitting in the track and you're so discouraged you don't want to even want to get up and you don't want to listen to anybody who tells you to get up and you're feeling down right now. Some of you here probably are feeling weary and tired. Some of you are unmotivated to run the race and you're saying, "What's it for?" For some of you may want to give up. You know, God knows, I don't know. Or some of you may already have given up and you're sitting back in the spectator's chair. You've given up the race. Beloved, I want to tell you, that's the work of Satan. He's trying to discourage you. Remember Jesus. Fix your eyes on Jesus. He is not only the greatest example of all, the greatest role model of faith, but he and he alone has all power in heaven and earth to pick you up, brush you off, and get you back on track.
Guest (Male): Thank you for making time in your day for Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. Maybe what Dr. Youssef shared raised some questions about your faith. Maybe a conversation with a Leading the Way pastor or counselor would be helpful. Get connected by filling out a contact form at ltw.org/jesus. You can also find helpful FAQ content right there at ltw.org/jesus.
Dr. Michael Youssef: Hello friends. Socialists and Islamists are winning positions of political power at every level. Radical ideologies, once enemies in our culture, are now marching together. What can be done? In my book, An Unholy Alliance, I explain what these radical forces are, what their strategy is, and also give you the 1,400-year backstory many people are entirely unaware of that is shaping today's headlines. Get my book, An Unholy Alliance. It will open your eyes and give you practical ways to make a difference for Christ.
Guest (Male): Order your copy of Dr. Youssef's recent book, An Unholy Alliance, when you call 866-626-4356. Once again, 866-626-4356. This powerful book and all of his publications speak directly into life and culture in 2026. And our website is ltw.org. We want to thank you for listening to Leading the Way. And please accept Dr. Youssef's invitation to join him once again when he passionately proclaims uncompromising truth on the next Leading the Way. This program is brought to you by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. Connect further with audio and video content at ltw.org.