Looking Unto Jesus
By Pastor Jerry A. Burns
Hebrews 11 is the great hall of faith. We read the names and we marvel. Abel worshipped. Enoch walked with God. Noah built. Abraham obeyed. Moses chose the reproach of Christ over the treasures of Egypt. Some built arks, and some built walls. Some defeated kingdoms, and some were cut in two. They were not perfect people, but they believed a perfect God.
And here is the wonder of it. They never held the promise in their hands. They saw it from a distance, through types and shadows and the pictures of the lamb and the blood. They believed the spoken Word of God about a coming Saviour, and they ran their race without ever seeing Him with their eyes. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off.
We stand on the other side of the cross. We do not look ahead to Calvary, we look back to it. We have the testimony of Jesus, and we have the Word of God written and in our hands. The faith that Abraham saw faintly, we now see in the face of the Saviour. He is the Author of our faith, for He began the work in us. He is the Finisher of our faith, for what He began He will surely complete. He ran our race perfectly. He endured the cross. He despised the shame. And He is now seated at the right hand of God.
So the writer of Hebrews points to that great cloud of witnesses, and then he points to you. Lay aside the weight. Lay aside the sin. Run the race with patience. And do not run it staring at your problems, or comparing yourself to others, or looking back at yesterday’s failures. Run it looking unto Jesus.
One day the saints who looked forward to Christ and the saints who now look back to His finished work will be gathered around the same throne. We will be made perfect together. And we will declare with one voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.
Name the one weight that is slowing your race today. It may be a worry you keep carrying, a comparison you keep making, or a failure you keep rehearsing. Lay it down before the Lord in prayer this morning, and leave it there. Then take up the stewardship He has placed in your hands, however small it may seem, and be faithful in it today. When your eyes drift back to the weight, turn them again, and keep looking unto Jesus.
- 1 Hebrews 11:13 says the saints saw the promise afar off and yet embraced it. What does it tell us about the nature of faith that these men and women believed a promise they never held in their hands or saw with their eyes?
- 2 The text calls Jesus both the Author and the Finisher of our faith. What is the difference between those two truths, and why does it matter that He is responsible for both the beginning and the completion of the work in us?
- 3 We are told to run looking unto Jesus rather than staring at our problems, comparing ourselves to others, or looking back at our failures. Which of these three do you find pulls your eyes away most often, and why?
- 4 Hebrews 11:40 says that the Old Testament saints, without us should not be made perfect. What does this teach us about our place in God's larger redemptive story, and how should it shape the way we view our own seemingly small acts of faithfulness?
- 5 The writer urges us to lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us. What is the difference between a weight and a sin, and what is one weight you sense the Lord asking you to lay down so that you can run your race more freely?
Related Sermons
You may feel insignificant in the work of God, but you are not. God has given you a stewardship, and He asks you to be faithful in it. When you cannot see the answer, keep looking unto Jesus. When the road is hard, keep looking unto Jesus. When your heart is tired, keep looking unto Jesus. Faith does not mean that we see everything clearly. Faith means that we trust the One who does.
"The fear of man bringeth a snare: But whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe." — Proverbs 29:25
Daily Scripture Reading
Join us as we read through the Bible in one year, growing together in God’s Word day by day. Click on any underlined verse to access Pastor Burns’ helpful study notes and deeper insights.
Look up a different passage
Search for any chapter or scripture above to begin.
This Week's Radio Program
Week Forty-Five • November 8, 2026
What are you Seeking? (Part 2)
In this message, "What are you Seeking? (Part 2)," Pastor Burns explains how many people search for meaning and purpose in all the wrong places. Just as Solomon sought fulfillment in worldly success and great wealth only to find it vanity and vexation of spirit, listeners will learn that true answers cannot be found in dead works, rituals, or philosophies.
Turning to John 20, listeners will hear how Mary Magdalene went to the tomb searching for Jesus and discovered that He had risen. Pastor Burns shares how the reality of Christ’s resurrection provides eternal life, encouraging everyone to choose life, since Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life."
Listen to Past Programs
Recent Devotionals
Catch up on the last few days.