All right, thank you, David, for that testimony. If you can turn your Bibles with me to Hebrews chapter 12, we're in verse 1 to 3, and we're going to be here for a few more weeks. Yeah, so as I've been preparing, there's some stuff that I just didn't want to skim through.

I wanted to take some time, and we don't have a timeline where we have to finish this by a certain date, so we're just going to go as the Word of God is being revealed. And I didn't even get through the whole Sermon for Service, so we'll see how long this takes.

Verse 1, 2, and 3. So let me read this, and we'll jump in. "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

Fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we give this time to you, asking for a clear understanding of your Word, that you would search us and know us and see if there's any hurtful ways in us. Lord, give us strength to understand. Give us strength to persevere. And we pray, Father God, that your grace truly would be enough.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen. You know, as we travel for various reasons, whether you go to Asia or go to India or Africa, you know, there are some countries where, you know, like 15, 20 years ago, you don't see anything Western, but you can see it developing. And one of the things, signs that you see developing is you see more and more of the Western stuff coming in.

So, you know, 30 years ago, I would say, what, 20, 30 years ago, when we would go overseas, you know, we can tell if there was any kind of Western influence by looking at McDonald's, right? And you go to McDonald's and you see, it's like, oh, there's a Western influence coming in, you know?

And now, I think in the last 15 years, it's switched from McDonald's to Starbucks. You can tell the progress or the economy getting better because you see more and more Starbucks. And we saw that out in Beijing and we started to see that out in India. Each time we go, there's more and more Starbucks, just like here.

You can run into it everywhere you go. I remember when Starbucks was first coming in. Some of you guys are a little bit older, remember, you know, that period when it was coming in. I was thinking, like, how is this business going to take off? You know, coffee has been around forever and all they're selling is coffee.

You know, I know that since then, they've added like donuts and all this other stuff, but it was just coffee. So, I said, these guys are crazy. They're going to do a business just selling coffee. And obviously, since then, I mean, it's one of the fastest growing companies, at least in the restaurant markets and coffee business.

And I realized that, you know, part of the reason why coffee, not just Starbucks, but coffee has taken off is because we become addicted not just to the flavor, but to the caffeine. You know, we're all fatigued and tired. And so, I remember growing up, we didn't really drink much coffee.

I didn't start drinking coffee until I was probably about 31 or 32 years old. And the reason why was because I started to teach ESL to Korean grandparents. And if I wasn't on my game, you know, I would lose them. Their attention span wasn't that great. So, I was speaking, you know, I had to speak to them in English and Korean.

And so, my mind had to be alert all the time. And so, you know, the best way to describe it is kind of giving five-hour sermons five times a week. That's how it felt. Like standing there just draining. I have to constantly think about, you know, what to teach them.

Do they remember this? What's the next lesson? And who's paying attention? Who gets it? Who doesn't get it? And so, I remember thinking, wow, this is exhausting being a teacher. And this is what the teachers must go through watching kids. So, I started drinking coffee. And now, it's become such a habit.

Like, you know, whether I need it or not, I have to drink coffee. And then, if I'm tired during the day, I would drink another cup of coffee. I try not to drink more than one coffee. But, you know, it's become such a habit now. I mean, it's just, obviously, it's not just me.

All through the world now, caffeine is kind of what's keeping people going, right? Well, there's a lot of things that we do. When we feel physically fatigued, maybe just go exercise, right? Maybe drinking energy drinks or soda, whatever it may be, or just take a walk. When we're physically fatigued, put caffeine in, do something so that you can be alert and you can go back to work.

But what do you do when you're spiritually fatigued? What do you do when you feel like the energy has been sapped down and you don't have the energy to continue on on this path? Where do you turn for that? Because caffeine might be able to give you a little perk and get you alert to be able to do what you need to do.

But when you have spiritually been fatigued and you don't have the energy to persevere and continue, who do we turn to? How do we get energized? So the text that we're looking at in verse 1, in conclusion, the transition that's being made is in conclusion to Christalia. Everything that's been presented is therefore, let us run this race with endurance.

And that's the imperative in this passage. And that's what he's going to be talking about in the next two chapters. And every verse is going to be running this race with endurance. Well, how do we do that? He's not simply saying, just dig deep within yourself. Just find strength within yourself and just be determined to get this right.

That's not what he is saying. If any of you, for any period of time, walked with God with that intention, we're just going to be more disciplined than I was before. I'm going to memorize more scripture than I'm going to pray more than other, I'm going to evangelize more than any other person.

Eventually, you get fatigued, you get tired, and you just don't have that energy. And then if you keep living this cycle over and over again, that's what...and then we use the term being burnt out. He's not simply calling us to be more determined, to be more disciplined, to be more sacrificial.

He says, we're talking about...he says that the imperative is let's run this race with endurance. And he talked about how we need to look first and foremost, are we committed to this race? Are we in this race, this race before us? And then to look behind the cloud of witnesses that have gone, how they did it, what caused them to persevere to the end?

And then last week, we looked at to look within. Is there anything that I'm doing that is entangling me to hinder this race? What am I engaged in that causes me not to have this appetite for Christ? What are the sins that so easily clings, that we just kind of dismiss and say, well, everybody struggles with it, and then we allow it in our lives without genuinely fighting it.

And then the part that we're at this morning is finally, and this really is the main point, the crux of the issue. Without this, everything else just becomes more things that we need to do, right? He says to look up, fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of the faith.

And then verse 3, it says, "For consider him who endures us hostility towards sinners against himself." If we don't get this, if we don't practice this, church can easily become a place where week after week, you're being reminded what you're not doing. You're not doing enough. You know, I mean, probably the most tired people in the world are mothers with small children at home, right?

You're fatigued. 24/7, you're giving to small children. And then you come to church, you need to be more involved. You need to be more giving. You need to be more sacrificial. Pick up your cross. Jesus did this for you. Why can't you do this for him? So no matter how nicely and graciously I say it, that's what gets into your ear.

And then just, you know, life is hard enough as it is, but you end up just piling up week after week this burden of what I should be doing that I'm not doing. And if you've been there for a long time, this just is kind of piled up. So you end up just kind of sucking it up.

I'm a Christian, so what else am I going to do? He's not simply saying, "Be more disciplined." He's not simply saying, "Be more determined." Although those are things that he does call us to do. He says, "In order to be fueled, the ultimate fuel," he says, "to fix our eyes on Jesus." Some of your translations simply says, "Look to Jesus." The word there in Greek is much more intense.

It's much more precise. He's not simply saying just to casually look. Look at the stars or look at these chairs. The reason why in the ESV or the NASV it uses the word "fix" is because it has this meaning of laser focus. To make a determination, you're intensely looking at something.

This word for looking or to fix our eyes on Jesus, and he said there's two reasons for that, because he's the author and he's the finisher of the rate, perfecter of the faith. Not only is he the one that we are justified by, he's also the one who will sanctify us.

Again, if we're not careful, we get justified by Christ, and then the sanctification is just discipleship. Just hook them up with somebody who's more mature, and then just kind of through learning and telling and discipleship that that's going to happen. Justification we're completely helpless, but sanctification it's 100% us.

He said, "No, Jesus Christ is the author, and he, Jesus Christ, is also the perfecter of our faith who will bring us into completion." That's what Paul says when he says Philippians 1.6, "He who began a good work in you, he will carry it onto completion, onto the day of Christ." Now, that does not mean that human effort is not there.

That does not mean that God doesn't call us to discipleship and pick up the cross. But in the end, the fuel that causes us to continue and to persevere is Christ himself. To look intensely at Jesus. It has two specific meanings in application. One, the word to look, to fix, has the idea of gawking at something, to behold something.

You ever experience something where something is so great, whether you travel somewhere or maybe you see movies, people standing in front of Grand Canyon, just they can't take their eyes off of Grand Canyon. I remember as a young child when my family decided to move from Philadelphia to Kansas, my parents would stop by at Niagara Falls.

I probably was about 10 or 11 years old at that time. I remember so vividly standing in front of Niagara Falls just being awed, even as a child. Just the waterfall, it just looked so amazing. Even though it was a brief time, even though I was a young child, that made a deep impression.

I remember a few years ago, we went back to look at it and it just didn't look as high. Things that you look at when you're a child, when you go back as an adult, it just doesn't live up to your memory. I think part of the reason was obviously I'm older, but the other part of it is I've seen other things.

I remember going to Kenya and this remote part of Kenya, we were at a waterfall. We drove probably about four hours to get there, but once we got there, there was a waterfall that probably was about three times that height. I remember looking at this like, "Wow, this makes Niagara Falls look tiny." The point of my story is there's things that we look at that just by the sheer magnitude of what you're seeing causes you to gaze at something, to gawk at something.

It may not just be scenery. It could be something or someone, maybe someone so talented that it causes you to look at it and gaze at it. I remember, again, some of you guys are a little bit older. Everything I say may be a little bit outdated, but do you know who Whitney Houston is?

You do? Okay, good. I'm connecting with a few of you. I remember the first time hearing Whitney Houston sing that song, "I Will Always Love You." Remember? I had to look it up. It was from the movie Bodyguard. I don't know. I don't remember what year this was. I wasn't that old, but I remember listening to that song and saying, "I never heard somebody hit a note that high before." I was just amazed.

It just made a deep impression. This idea of gawking and looking and beholding is something beyond you, is so beyond you, so magnificent. You can scenery, you can be talent, whether it's sports, whatever it is, it just naturally causes you to worship. That's the word here, to behold. In 1 John 3, verse 1, in the NASB, it says, "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us." In 1 John 3, verse 15, James, the literal understanding, it says to behold.

Look intently how great a love the Father has bestowed on us that we would be called children of God and such we are. That sinners like us, rebellious sinners like us, behold, gawk at, fix your eyes, that we would become children of God. That's the idea behind fixing your eyes upon Christ, not just to casually look, not just to consider, but to think deeply about what it is that we have.

Part of the reason why there is such superficiality in the way that we live our life is because we have such superficial understanding of the gospel. Especially if you've grown up in the church and you heard the gospel in Sunday school and you say, "Yeah, I believe that. What is the gospel?

I'm a sinner. Jesus came, died for us and he was crucified, resurrected on my behalf and now I go to heaven." But then we've never seriously asked that question. In fact, if you don't evangelize, you have no idea how many holes there are in your understanding of the gospel because you've never been tested.

No one's ever pushed back. So you never ask the question, "Oh, Jesus loved me. This I know for the Bible tells me so, the end." Then somebody say, "Why does he have to die?" Because I'm a sinner. But why die? All the mothers in this room, future mothers, we all know that we love our kids and that's why we have Mother's Day, Father's Day.

You don't tell your kids, "I loved you so much, I died for you." What does that mean? In fact, "I loved you so much, I'm going to bleed for you now." You don't bleed and then take the blood. "I love you so much." What is that? But sometimes we hear it so much, we just accept it without really asking what that sounds like, not truly understanding the meaning behind any of this stuff.

Why did he have to be crucified? Why does he have to die and then resurrect again? What does all that mean? But we just heard it and we have a superficial understanding, superficial appreciation of what we sing about and learn about and even share. But because we haven't gazed, we haven't beheld and actually wrestled with what it is that we actually have, we just kind of, "Oh, Jesus loves me, so he died for me, so now I got to go work.

Tell me what to do. I'm going to go make disciples of all the nations." And so we're given to work, we work hard, we sacrifice, but there is no beholding in our hearts. And as a result of that, we labor, we strive, we sacrifice, and then we get burnt out.

And then we labor, we strive, we get burnt out, and then something else happens, we get encouraged and we get back up in this cycle over and over again. And if that's the cycle that you've been in four years, five years, 10 years, 20 years, something inside of you just dies, that you don't have hope anymore, that this is not going to work, this hard work doesn't lead to anything.

The problem was not that we worked hard. The problem wasn't that we didn't work hard enough. The problem was the fuel that we need to cause all these things to happen wasn't happening. And that's what he says to behold. First we need to run this race with endurance. And he says to behold, fix your eyes on Jesus.

Ephesians 3.16-19, Paul's prayer after laying about how he predestined us, he elected us, he adopted us from before the creation of the world, and he's just basically laying out how he loved us and saved us. And then he says, after telling them this, he says, he prays that he would grant you, God would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through the spirit in the inner man, so that Christ would dwell in your hearts through faith and that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints.

All right, let me stop right there. There is a difference between revelation and illumination. Revelation, anybody can have it at any time. Open up the Bible, read what it says, and then regurgitate that to other people. That's revelation, right? That just requires your effort. Working hard, memorize scripture, right?

That's revelation. He's not talking about revelation, because revelation was already given to them, right? He already gave it to them. So when he says to comprehend what it is that you have been given, he's not simply talking about having a better or higher IQ or putting more effort into this.

He's talking that the Holy Spirit would take what was revealed to you so that you would open your eyes to see with all the saints the breadth, the length, the height, and the depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

That beyond revelation, that God through the Holy Spirit would illuminate you, that you would begin to behold what it is that you have. And in this beholding is what fuels everything else that happens. You know, I think many of you already know that I'm a cynic by nature, right?

And especially now where you have Yelp, you know, I know we have a generation where you have five stars and we got to go, right? I don't trust any of it, right? I've gone to some of these five-star coffee shops, five-star boba shops, five-star sushi shops and I can't think of a single time where I came back and was like, "That deserves five stars," right?

It just never lives up to the hype, right? And part of the reason why it doesn't live up to the hype is because that experience you had, you know, may have been that one person that was there. Maybe the person was making that particular sandwich did a great job.

And maybe you have a different kind of taste bud than I do and you like something spicy. Maybe I don't like something spicy. It may have been you were with a group of friends and it wasn't just about the food but the environment that you were. There's a lot of things that go into somebody just having a good time.

They've marketed that thing well. So when I go there and I specifically eat that, I really get excited. And part of the reason is I'm not a good person, right? Part of the reason I'm a cynic by nature, I just don't trust these things. And I tasted part of the reason why is because I've traveled a lot and I've eaten a lot of things.

And so when I compare it to all of these things, it just never lives up to the hype, right? And even Niagara Falls, I told you, I was so awed by it. And so second time I went, I was expecting, "Man, we're going to go see Niagara Falls." And I remember going there and saying, "Huh, there's a lot of water just falling." It just didn't live up to that hype, right?

No matter what it is. And that's true whether it is scenery, whether you travel, whether it is food, it's like that even with people. It just doesn't live up to the hype. So when I read biographies of people, I'm always thinking behind my head, "What is he really like?" I know this is what they're saying about him, but what is he really like, right?

That's why it's hard for me to get excited. But I can tell you with all honesty that over 40 years, it's almost 40, I forget how many years, right? Almost 40 years. Almost 40 years that I've been a Christian, that the love of Christ is far deeper than I realized 40 years ago.

It is far wider than what I remembered when I first met him. It is far higher than I could possibly explain. Nothing in this world lives up to that hype but the love of Christ. And I remember Corrie Tamboon, again, this is one of these things that I remember so much, and I know I shared it before, but I remember Corrie Tamboon, some of you guys who know her, she's the author of the book, The Hiding Place, and it's her testimony about how her whole family got slaughtered during the Holocaust.

And then she became an evangelist. And how before she became famous and was able to pay her bills, she said she used to sell watches. And after she would make a good sale, she would walk away from that, said always feeling bad about the sale. And the reason why was that it would bother her conscience that she had to hype up the watch in order to get the sale.

This watch is great, it's a great price, it's not going to let you down, and so she sold it. But even though she was a great salesperson, she would walk away always feeling guilty that maybe I wasn't fully honest. And then she became an evangelist and she began to share the testimony about Jesus Christ.

And she would walk away with the same guilt but for a completely different reason. And she would share how no matter how much she would share about Jesus, she would walk away thinking that maybe I didn't do God's love justice. Maybe I didn't do justice to his grace. There's nothing in this world that if we gawk at it long enough does not fade.

There's no food, there's no place, there's no human being that you will put on a pedestal and watch and behold where as time passes that it becomes greater than last year and greater than that the year after that. Nothing in creation lives up to that kind of scrutiny except Christ.

That's why when he says to behold, to look, to gawk at. Because where our fuel comes from is knowing the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ. You and I do not have the inner ability to just simply say no to temptation. When we're tempted by things, tempted by hatred and anger, to simply say no because we're strong, because we're disciplined.

You and I do not have that ability. So without beholding who Christ is, all Christianity becomes is more things that you're not doing right. C.S. Lewis says this in his book, The Weight of Glory. It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong but too weak.

We are half-hearted creatures fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us. Like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea, we are far too easily pleased.

He's describing an individual who gazed at, maybe have a glimpse of his glory, and then spent the rest of his life gawking at the world, being tempted, constantly distracted. And we're so easily pleased, easily pleased with food, easily pleased with travel, easily pleased with circumstance. And that's what causes us to drift.

So no wonder Christianity becomes a burden. You know, we take our Christianity as a pick up your cross, deny yourself. Jesus loved you so much. How could you not do that for him? And we live this burden that we owe him. And so we have to keep doing more of this.

And of course, we run empty. You know, it says in Matthew 13 to 44 to 46, it says, "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid. And from joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." You notice here the motivation behind why he's selling all of this stuff?

Because he recognized the value of the treasure that he found. And so when he sacrifices, he's giving up everything, what does he do? You say, "Oh my God, that's so expensive. I got to give up all of this so I can have that?" He says, "From joy over it." Because he saw the value.

And so everything that he had was worth selling and in joy sold everything so that he can have this. See, the difference between an individual who is struggling to sacrifice and discipline versus somebody who is eager to follow is how he recognizes the treasure in Christ. If Christ is not the treasure, you will not overcome the temptation.

How can you when everybody around you is going after that? It's so nice, especially where you and I live. We live 15 minutes away from the beach, 30 minutes, 40 minutes if you drive fast to the mountains, Disneyland over here, Knott's Berry Farm. What else is down there? Movie theaters, all the food that we...

You know one thing, the more I travel, the more I know that this is the best place in the world. Even the food tastes better here. Everything, we have access to pretty much everything. I literally never need to leave Irvine. Everything that I fleshly desire is in Irvine. How are you going to win over that temptation?

Simply by saying no? Simply by being more disciplined? Simply by having accountability group to shame you if you don't? You and I don't have that power. He says because he saw the treasure of what he had, he didn't want to lose it. So for joy of having that, he was willing to sell everything to get that.

See, if we're not beholding Christ and do not understand the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ, it just becomes more work. More work. Life is hard enough as it is, and then you go to the church, and you got to do more work. That's why he says to fix your eyes on Jesus.

To fix it, not just to look at it, not just casually think about it. He says to fix, don't take your eyes off of it. That's what that means. Because the moment we forget the treasure that we have in Christ, we easily get entangled and fall into temptation. That's exactly what Apostle Paul meant in comparison to the surpassing knowledge of knowing Jesus Christ.

Surpassing knowledge meaning this is beyond just revelation, beyond me telling you. This is beyond anything that the world can offer you. Surpassing knowledge of knowing Jesus Christ. Everything else became rubbish. Roman citizen, wealthy family, highest education, already well-known celebrity, possibly a San Hedron member already, a senator in the nation of Israel.

For any Jew, Pharisee among Pharisees, asked the law, he says perfect. For a Jew, he's already on the top. But he says in comparison, in comparison to the treasure he found in Christ, it became rubbish. He didn't make it rubbish, it became rubbish in comparison. So when our eyes are taken off of Christ, there is nothing else in this world that's going to save you from the temptation that we are surrounded by constantly.

You know, I remember when, right before I became a Christian, I was obsessed with baseball. Because that was my first love, baseball. Before basketball, anything else. And my friends decided that we're going to make the Burbank High School baseball team. So we spent every single minute that we had, right?

It probably saved us from a lot of trouble. Because we were getting into a lot of trouble prior to that. But when we decided to play baseball, every opportunity we had, we went on the baseball field and we had a guy who wanted to play shortstop. And so we would just bat to him, right?

Hour, two hours, every day. And it's my turn. So I would take the glove and go to the left field and they would just pop it up, right? Pop up the ball. And I said, "Put the ball over there so let me see how much distance I can cover.

So hit it far from me." We did that every day, every opportunity we had, because we were preparing to try to get on this baseball team. Well, tryouts came out, you know, it started out in December and it was about a week of tryouts and then we took a break.

And then the second part was going to happen after the break. So in between that, I became a Christian. It radically changed my life. And we spent so much time preparing for it, going to the batting cage and trying to get on this team that we want so much.

But all of a sudden, I meet Christ and I just completely forgot. I don't even remember wrestling about this decision because their Bible study was Friday night and all the games were happening Friday night. All the practices were happening Friday night. And so I don't even remember thinking, "Should I?

I just don't remember that because what would be better than this God that I met?" So I used to live in Burbank and one of the leaders would come and pick me up right after school at 3.30 or 4 o'clock. Being in LA, Bible study starts at 7, finishes at 9.

We go have dinner and then from 11 to 1 or 2 in the morning, we'd have overnight prayer. And then sometimes we'd just sleep over at the church just sleeping on the floor, waking up, mowing the lawn of the church because that's the only way they would let us stay there.

And then waking up, just passing out pamphlets and trying to evangelize. And I would come home sometimes like late Saturday. And I just remember my parents never asked me where I was. I think part of the reason was because I was getting into so much trouble prior to that.

They knew I was at church so that whatever I was doing over there was going to be much better than me not doing that. But I remember that so vividly. I don't remember struggling to let it go because at that time, my mind was blown. God is real? Heaven and hell is real?

And that God cares about me? And then this is the Bible study that I need to attend to connect with this God versus I get to throw this white ball around with these guys? I wasn't a super Christian. I wasn't discipled. I wasn't more disciplined than the next person.

I wasn't more noble. I wasn't more righteous than anybody else. My eyes got open. I beheld his glory. That's why in Revelation when it talks to the church of Ephesus, he says, "Remember the height from which you had fallen. Remember when you first beheld God. Remember when the gospel first came into you.

Remember how excited you were about singing, about Bible study, about prayer meetings, about evangelism." You notice the difference between somebody who just became a Christian versus somebody who's been a Christian for a while. Somebody who's been a Christian for a while and they've become very good at this game like what is required of this church?

What is mandatory? So we say, "Hey, we're going to have a meeting." And one of the first questions we think, "Is it mandatory?" Right? Another, "Am I going to be judged?" Right? Yes, you will be judged if you don't come. So you better come. Right? So, "Oh, we're going to be judged.

Okay, then we have to come." Versus you meet a new Christian, "Am I allowed to come? Is it okay if I come? Am I allowed to sit here? Can I attend Bible study?" The difference between the two is that the young Christian's eyes beheld Christ and he realized the privilege that he has to have access to God.

The privilege that he or she has to worship. The privilege to be a part of a community of people to worship God versus somebody who's been a Christian for a while is like, "Do I have to? Is it mandatory? Will I be judged?" Even the way we ask questions, "Is this sin?" These are all questions that are coming from somebody who has been burdened and there's no fuel fueling them, just meeting the minimum standards.

You and I do not have that ability just to suck it up and keep it going if we're not beholding Christ. Do you know how you can tell somebody's beholding Christ? They can't contain it. They can't contain it. Evangelism just doesn't happen. It's like, "Tuesday at three o'clock, evangelism." Okay, now I got to evangelize.

Somebody who's beholding Christ, sit down. Sit down and ask them, "What did you do today?" That's enough to get them going. Somebody who's beholding Christ, fixated on Christ, "Oh, let's have fellowship. We're going to have next Wednesday at three o'clock. I'm going to say these things. I'm going to do these things." Somebody who's beholding Christ, just ask them, "What do you like to do for fun?" Just ask them because it's abundant.

It's what they're beholding. Just comes out because just like if you watched a movie that you would just narrate, "Wow, that was great." You don't have to ask them. They'll tell you. You almost get annoyed. "Stop telling me." But because they were so impacted by that, they'll tell you.

That's why he's saying, "Behold, fix your eyes upon Christ that we may have a deepening understanding of the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ." The second meaning behind this is not simply to behold but to look intently for help. Kind of like the way we use the word when we say, "Who do you look to when you are in trouble?

Who do you look to when you have financial problems? Government, the bank, your job, yourself? Who do you look to when you are discouraged? Who do you look to when you feel lost or lonely?" We use that word look to look at something for help. Your friends, church leaders, government, money.

In Psalm 121, it says, "I will lift up my eyes to the mountains from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth." In other words, the person that I'm beholding, this person that I'm looking to for help, he created the universe.

That's why the Bible always, when the Bible introduces us to God, you notice how often the Bible says, "God the creator." Repeatedly, "God who created the universe. That God who created your inner being." Why is he saying that? Meaning that his power cannot be exhausted. He's all powerful. The God that you are looking to doesn't have a limit in their bank account, doesn't have limited resources.

He's God the creator. He's the one that I run to. He will not allow your foot to slip. He who keeps you will not slumber. Probably most of us, the closest thing that you and I can relate to, to agape love, is the love that you and I receive from our mothers.

Even if they're not the best, they're sinners too, but probably the closest to somebody who is willing to sacrifice their well-being in order that you and I could eat and live and sleep comfortably, most of us will probably say it's our mothers. Deservedly so, because they sacrifice. It's hard being a mother.

I mean, you can't be selfish when you have kids around, because if a mother is selfish, children die. And that's not an exaggeration. If a mother is selfish, children don't eat. If the mother is selfish, they're not protected. They're going to run around naked, starve to death. That's what's going to happen if the mother is selfish.

So the closest thing that you and I can experience, oh, that's kind of like that. But even the mothers grow weary. Even the best of mothers get tired. Even the best of mothers are human and sinners themselves. So he says, "But the God that we look to, he keeps Israel and will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil. He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from the time forth and forever." The Lord will.

Anything else that we are beholding for our strength, anything else that we are turning to eventually will let you down. My guess is you've probably experienced that already. Whether it's an institution, whether it's your circumstance, whether it was the government or maybe it was a leader, whatever it is that you turn to that replaces where only God can be eventually will let you down because nothing lives up to that scrutiny.

Nothing. Not your husband, not your wife, not your children, not your circumstance, not your leader, not your pastor, not your elders. Nothing lives up to that scrutiny but God himself. That's why in order to run this race with perseverance, we need to fix our eyes on Jesus who started the race and he's going to be the one who finishes the race and only those who are gazing, beholding, and growing in beholding will persevere in their race.

I remember a pastor years ago described Christians beholding Christ in eternity like an ant trying to describe an elephant. And the ant would get on the trunk and say, "Oh, the elephant is like this. It's long and slinky." And then he would take a few steps and end up on the trunk.

He's like, "Oh, I was wrong. It's actually white and very tough." And then he would walk over to the ice. "Actually, it's very liquidy." And so every few steps he takes, he recognizes a different part of the elephant. He's like, "Well, what is he? Who is he?" Well, that's a tiny little ant that's trying to describe something gigantic.

And so none of it is wrong, but not one thing is ever comprehensive. And he described how us beholding Christ is going to be like that, but far greater. But for all eternity, we're going to be gawking at him. And every time we turn around, we see a different aspect, that God's love is much deeper than I thought.

It's much wider than I thought, much higher than I thought. God was much holier than I possibly imagined. God is more worthy than I could have possibly told. And for all eternity, he is completely eternal, always immutable, is going to inspire worship. And it is that God that he is referring to, that in order to run this race, to finish this race, to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author, the beginner, and the one who will finish the race, the fuel to be able to persevere.

Let me finish with this in Isaiah 40, 28 to 31. Do you not know, have you not heard, the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary. To him who lacks might, he increases power.

Though youths grow weary and tired and vigorous, young men stumble badly. Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary. For parents, especially for moms on Mother's Day, thank you for your sacrifice.

And I know, especially, whether you are a veteran mom or you're a brand new mom, the sacrifices that you make and to present what agape love looks like to the family and to the children. But along with that, I want to make this very clear. Your love is not enough.

No matter how much you pour into your children, your love is not sufficient enough. Your love, no matter how much you sacrifice, will not be enough to save your child. The only love that can change a lost soul, that his identity is changed as a child of God for eternity, is when they also behold this love for themselves.

So the best that you and I could do, the best that a mother can do, is help them see that. The best way for you to do that is for yourself to behold that, to be a witness of that. Our love is not enough. My shepherding in this church is not enough.

My preaching, organization skills, sacrifice is not enough. That's why the primary goal every Sunday is to help you see that Christ is worthy. That He is worthy of our attention. He is worthy of our sacrifice. That He is worthy to follow. He's worthy to let go of this world.

Because only when you behold the same Christ would you also pick up your cross and follow Him. Behold Him. You and I are not gifted enough, we're not strong enough, we're not disciplined enough, but by the grace of God, He has called us to be His witness. To be His witness.

So let's witness this glory. Let's witness this love. And tell the world what they do not see. So that they also may come and know this Christ for themselves. Let's pray. Again, as our worship team comes up, if I can ask you to take some time to let the Word of God dwell in your hearts.

If you've grown up in the church and you just say, "Yeah, I know Jesus died for me. I believe that, so I'm going to go to heaven." And that's your level of Christianity. You don't understand what you're worshiping. You don't understand what you're seeing. You don't understand the Word of God that's being opened.

To humble yourself before the Lord and ask, "Do I really know this God? Have I actually gazed upon His glory?" It takes some time to come before the Lord in honest confession. "Lord, I don't think I know You. Open my eyes, Lord, that I may behold Your glory as well." If you happen to be somebody who grew up in the church and you're so busy doing so many things but only one thing is required of you, fix your eyes upon Jesus.

Fix your eyes upon Jesus. Do you love this Jesus? You're laboring for Jesus. You're sacrificing for Jesus. You are working for Jesus. But do you love this Jesus? We also need to take a step back and fix our eyes upon what it is that we worship, what it is that we have.

Let's take some time to pray the same prayer that Paul prays, that with all knowledge, that we would have the strength with all the saints to comprehend the width, the length, the height, and the depth of the love of Christ.