Finishing Faith: Staying Focused When Life Feels Impossible

This article has been adapted from a full sermon titled “Finishing Faith” based on Hebrews 12:1–3.

What if the hardest moments of your life aren’t setbacks…but the very places God is strengthening your faith? Hebrews 12 pulls back the curtain and shows why the Christian race feels so intense—and how believers can actually endure it with unshakable perseverance.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…”

Hebrews invites us to look at the people who have run the race before us. Ordinary people who trusted God through extraordinary circumstances. Imperfect people who still finished well.

I was reminded of this during the Whataburger 10K I ran recently with two of my daughters. I didn’t sign up because I love running—I signed up because they promised free Whataburger at the finish line. But around mile four, my legs were burning, and I wondered why I signed up at all. Then suddenly I reached the part of the course lined with cheering people. They were ringing bells, holding signs, yelling my race number. And I felt something rise up in me. It gave me a pep in my step I didn’t know I had left.

That’s the picture Hebrews 12 paints. We are running with an entire crowd of witnesses cheering us on—people who have already finished their own hard races. I often think about the people who shaped my journey. Their voices still encourage me today. And we all have people like that in our story—reminders that finishing well is possible.

“…let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely…”

Trying to run while holding onto sin or unnecessary distractions is like strapping on a weighted backpack and wondering why you’re slow. Some weights aren’t sinful—they’re just heavy. But sin does more than slow you down. It tangles you up.

I think about the three-legged race I ran during field day at school. You tie your leg to someone else’s, put your arm around their shoulder, and try to run. Someone technically wins…but nobody runs fast. Nobody runs far. You can’t. That’s exactly what sin does. Instead of crucifying it, we often coddle it—and then wonder why we can’t move forward.

God invites us to throw it off. Not just so we can run—but so we can finish well.

“…and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…”

Every believer’s race is unique—but every believer is called to endure. Some stretches feel endless. Some hills feel too steep. Sometimes you’re just trying to put one foot in front of the other.

But I keep reminding myself of the finish line: hearing “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Seeing Jesus face to face. Being reunited with people I love who finished their race before me. Every small step of obedience moves us closer to that moment.

“…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…”

Jesus ran the hardest race—and He finished it. He endured the cross, despised its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God. He isn’t just the starting point of our faith; He is the strength that carries us through our weakest moments.

I’ll never forget hearing Hebrews 12 preached when I was about 17. The lights in the room went completely dark, and a single spotlight hit the preacher as he read the passage. Then he asked us to imagine the heroes of Hebrews 11—Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses—each stepping forward and saying, “It’s worth it.” That moment marked me deeply.

Hebrews 12:1–3 is a game plan to:

Look around — encouragement is everywhere.
Look within — throw off every weight and sin.
Look ahead — your race has purpose.
Look to Jesus — the perfect example and source of strength.

This race isn’t about speed. It’s about steadfastness. And with your eyes fixed on Jesus, you can endure. You can finish well.

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