LET US FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS

Therefore then,

Since we are Surrounded by so Great Cloud of Witnesses

[Who have borne testimony of the Truth],

Let us Strip Off and Throw Aside every Encumbrance--

Unnecessary Weight--

And that Sin which so Readily (deftly and cleverly)

Clings to and Entangles us,

And let us Run with Patient Endurance

And Steady and Active Persistence

The Appointed Course of the Race that is Set before us.

2 LOOKING AWAY [FROM ALL THAT WILL DISTRACT]

To Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our Faith

[Giving the first incentive for our belief]

And is also its FINISHER,

[Bringing it to Maturity and Perfection].

HE, [FOR THE JOY OF OBTAINING THE PRIZE]

That was Set before Him, Endured the CROSS,

Despising and Ignoring the SHAME,

And is now seated at the Right Hand

Of the Throne of God. [Ps. 110:1.]

3 Just think of Him Who endured from Sinners such Grievous Opposition

And Bitter Hostility against Himself--

Reckon up and Consider it all in comparison with your Trials--

So that you may not Grow Weary or Exhausted,

Losing Heart and Relaxing and Fainting in your minds.

4 You have not yet Struggled and Fought Agonizingly against Sin,

Nor have you yet Resisted and Withstood

To the Point of Pouring out your [own] blood.

5 And have you [completely] forgotten the Divine Word

Of Appeal and Encouragement

In which you are reasoned with and addressed as sons?

My son, do not think lightly

Or Scorn to submit to the Correction and Discipline of the Lord,

Nor Lose Courage and Give Up and Faint

When you are Reproved or Corrected by Him.

6 For the Lord Corrects and Disciplines Every One whom He loves,

And He Punishes, even Scourges, every son

Whom He Accepts and Welcomes to His Heart and Cherishes.

7 You Must Submit to and Endure [correction] for discipline.

God is dealing with you as with sons;

For what son is there whom his father does not [thus]

Train and Correct and Discipline?

8 Now if you are Exempt from Correction and left without Discipline

In which all [of God's children] share,

THEN YOU ARE ILLEGITIMATE OFFSPRING

And Not True sons [at all]. [Prov. 3:11, 12.]

9 Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who Disciplined us

And we Yielded [to them] and Respected [them for training us].

Shall we not much more cheerfully Submit to the Father of spirits

AND SO [TRULY] LIVE?

10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for only a short period of time

And Chastised us as seemed proper and good the them,

But He Disciplines us for our Certain Good,

That we may become Sharers in His own Holiness.

11 For the time being No Discipline bring Joy

But seems Grievous and Painful,

But afterwards it Yields Peaceable Fruit of Righteousness

To those who have been Trained by it--

A Harvest of Fruit which consists in Righteousness,

[That is in Conformity to God's Will in Purpose, Thought and Action,

Resulting in Right Living and Right Standing with God].

12 So then, Brace Up and Reinvigorate and Set right

Your Slackened and Weakened and Drooping hands,

And Strengthen your Feeble and Palsied and Tottering Knees, [Isa. 35:3.]

13 And Cut Through and Make Firm and Plain

And Smooth, Straight Paths for your feet--

[Yes, make them] Safe and Upright and Happy Paths

That go in the Right Direction--

So that the Lame and Halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint,

But rather may be Cured.

14 Strive to live in Peace with Everyone,

And Pursue that Consecration and Holiness

WITHOUT WHICH NO ONE WILL [EVER] SEE THE LORD.

15 Exercise Foresight and be on the Watch

To look [after one another],

To see that No One Falls Back from and Fails to Secure God's Grace

(His unmerited Favor and spiritual blessing),

In order that No Root of Resentment (rancor, bitterness or hatred)

Shoot forth and cause Trouble and Bitter Torment,

And the many become Contaminated and Defiled by it;

16 That No One may become Guilty of Sexual Vice,

Or become a Profane (godless and sacrilegious) person

As Esau did, who sold his own Birthright for a single meal.

[Gen. 25:29-34.]

17 For you understand that later on,

When he wanted [to regain title to] his Inheritance of the Blessing,

He was Rejected (disqualified and set aside),

For he could find no Opportunity to Repair by Repentance

[What he had done]--

That is, No Chance to Recall the Choice he had made--

Although he sought for it Carefully with [bitter] tears. Gen. 27:3—40.]

18 FOR YOU HAVE NOT COME [as did the Israelites in the wilderness]

TO A [MATERIAL] MOUNTAIN THAT CAN BE TOUCHED,

A [mountain] that is Ablaze with Fire, and to Gloom and Darkness

And a Raging Storm.

19 And the Blast of a Trumpet,

And a Voice whose words make the listeners beg

That Nothing More be said to them.

[Exod. 19:12-22; 20:18-21; Deut. 4:11, 12; 5:22-27.]

20 For they could not Bear the Command that was given,

If even a wild animal touches the mountain,

It shall be stoned to death. [Exod. 19:12, 13.]

21 In fact, so Awful and Terrifying was the (phenomenal) sight

That Moses said, I am Terrified—Aghast and Trembling with Fear.

[Deut. 9:19.]

22 But rather, you have approached unto Mount Zion,

Even to the City of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem,

And to Countless Multitudes of Angels in Festal gathering.

23 AND TO THE CHURCH (ASSEMBLY) OF THE FIRST BORN

Who are Registered [as citizens] in Heaven,

And to the JUDGE Who is God of all,

And to the spirits of the Righteous [the redeemed in Heaven]

WHO HAVE BEEN MADE PERFECT;

24 AND TO JESUS, THE MEDIATOR—GO BETWEEN, AGENT--

Of a New Covenant, and to Sprinkled Blood which speaks [of mercy,]

A Better and Nobler and more Gracious Message

Than the blood of Able [which cried out for vengeance]. [Gen. 4:10.]

25 SO SEE TO IT THAT YOU DO NOT REJECT HIM

Or Refuse to listen to and heed Him Who is speaking [to you now].

For if they [the Israelites] did not Escape when they Refused to listen

And heed Him Who warned and Divinely instructed them [here] on earth--

Revealing with Heavenly Warnings His Will--

How much less shall we Escape if we Reject

And turn our backs on Him

Who Cautions and Admonishes [us] from Heaven?

26 THEN [AT MOUNT SINAI] HIS VOICE SHOOK THE EARTH;

But now He has given a PROMISE,

YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE AND MAKE TREMBLE

NOT ONLY THE EARTH BUT ALSO THE (STARRY) HEAVENS. [Hag. 2:6.]

27 Now this expression, YET ONCE MORE,

Indicates the Final Removal and Transformation of ALL

[That can be] SHAKEN,

That is, of that which has been created,

IN ORDER THAT WHAT CANNOT BE SHAKEN

May remain and continue. [Ps. 102:26.]

28 Let us therefore, receiving a Kingdom

THAT IS FIRM AND STABLE AND CANNOT BE SHAKEN,

Offer to God Pleasing Service and Acceptable Worship,

With Modesty and Pious Care and Godly Fear and Awe;

FOR OUR GOD [IS INDEED] A CONSUMING FIRE. [Deut. 4:24.]

(Hebrews 12, AMP)

Let us Fix our eyes on Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith;

Understanding that ALL that we Observe, that is Not of God,

Is going to DISAPPEAR!