The Original Cloud - Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr.

29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. 32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

July 1976 felt like a momentous time for the people of the United States. That month, we celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and its inspired American Revolution. During that same time, another event happened. This event didn't make the newspapers, and most Americans had no idea it was happening. But it would change their lives forever.

At a meeting of the Homebrew Computer Club of Palo Alto, California, a 25-year-old electronic engineer named Steve Wozniak unveiled a new computer. He and his business partner, Steve Jobs, had just invented it. Its plastic keyboard poked up through an opening in a wooden case. They called it the Apple I. It was the first commercially successful personal computer. In 2021 an Apple I computer sold at an auction for $400,000. The collector who bought it wanted an Apple I because it was a piece of history.

It's hard to imagine our lives without personal computers, including desktops, laptops, tablets, or those powerful smartphones we carry in our pockets or purses. When computers first came out, the computer room would be as big as this sanctuary, and now you can fit some inside a breath mint box. When computers first came out, storage was a problem; hard drives and disk space took up a lot of space; now, we can save our data to the cloud. The internet and the World Wide Web arrived and connected us in ways we couldn't have imagined just a few years before. Everything syncs to the cloud automatically. You don't have to worry about losing your family photos or documents. They're out there, safely stored away in the cloud!

But cloud computing, on which so many depend, is not the original cloud. That distinction belongs to another cloud — one that's equally invisible, more mysterious, and harder to wrap our minds around. We read about it in Hebrews 12:1: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses …."

A great cloud of witnesses surrounds us, says this anonymous apostle. And who are these witnesses, this vast cloud of people who surround us on every side? The preceding verses lay it all out for us.

The author writes to us about the faith held by Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Joseph, Moses and the whole company of wandering Israelites, and even Rahab.

There's a list of other, unnamed faithful ones as well: people who suffered mightily to keep the faith. Some "suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death; they were sawn in two, killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented — of whom the world was not worthy" (11:36-38).

Many of us see our nation as the home of rugged individualists: the lone cowboy, strong and self-sufficient. Our homes are our castles. Our idea is to make our way in the world, to rely on others for nothing. Far too many distrust yearning for the community as a sign of weakness.

Sociologist Robert D. Putnam has spent much of his life studying this hyper-individualistic national trait of ours. In a recent book, The Upswing, he mentions the research of social psychologist James Pennebaker on how our preferred pronouns reveal our deepest values as we talk with others.

Pennebaker has analyzed how often people use "I" instead of "we." He has found that people in the strongest marriages use "we" more often than those with strained relationships. He has also found that the most deeply self-confident people are generous in their use of "we"; it's insecure who favor "I." Moreover, frequent use of "I" is correlated with the risk of depression or suicide, and it's a more reliable marker for depression than words like "sad."

We must understand that we are in this together, and our faith connects us. The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We exercise faith all the time, even outside of our religious habits. We go to bed and wake up in a house we didn't build, eat food many of us didn't grow, drive cars we didn't engineer, on roads we didn't make, with other drivers we didn't train. We go to doctors and take medicine we didn't make and trust other professionals when provided with little to no information. 

Faith allowed the people of Israel to walk on dry land when Pharaoh's army chased them. Faith allowed the people to walk around the walls of Jericho until they fell. Faith is why Rahab helped the people of God take the promised land. Faith helped Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. Over and over again, the Bible gives us stories of people who won because they had faith, faith to conquer kingdoms, received promises, and survive in a lion's den. Faith helped heal the sick, raise the dead, put out fires, and scare armies into running away. Faith gave the people victory. Some had names; some did not. These were not perfect people, but they had a heart for God and faith. Faith can lead to some amazing results, and faith can lead to courage in rough situations.

The text lets us know that faith isn't only for the good times, but faith also held the people together during the bad times. Faith held people while they suffered mocking, flogging, and prison. Faith kept the people while they were wandering in the desert, and faith kept the people while they were destitute, persecuted, and tormented. Faith is not just for bright days and fun nights; faith is what we hold on to when the doctor tells us they have bad news, faith is what we hold on to when money is low and bills are due; faith is all we have when it seems like everyone around us is gone. When you have fake friends, you still have faith; when you have real enemies, you still have faith. 

Faith has a long memory and profits from the experiences of those who came before us. Faith can be understood within the bigger picture. Trusting God is the best approach for everyday people, every time and every place. 

The same God that was with the people who succeeded and was with the people who were suffering is with you during your trials and tribulations. 

We can do it because we can look to Christ. After all, Christ was willing to endure for greater glory. Jesus was a pioneer and perfecter of our faith, and Jesus gives us what we need to run the race with perseverance. 

When running a race, joy isn't found in something other than the race; instead, it's located at the end of the race for those who complete it. In chapter 10, the author says Christ came to do the will of God (10:9), which included perfection through suffering, even the suffering of death (2:10; 5:9). Consequently, he endured the cross knowing that joy lay beyond the act of completing the will of his Father.

Having completed this race, Jesus now sits on the right hand of God, referring to Psalm 110:1, which is evoked throughout the letter (1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12). Jesus, then, is the prime example of faithfulness. He endured a horrible death and attained an unparalleled position of honor. The author turns to Christ as the climax of all his examples of faith to encourage the audience to stay steadfast until they complete their race. 

He is enduringly strong; He is immortally graceful.

He supplies strength to the weak. He's available for the tempted and 

the tried. He sympathizes, and He saves. He is our guard, and He guides. He heals the sick. He cleanses the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharges debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent, and He beautifies the meek. 

Jesus is Mary's baby. 

He was born in someone else's cradle, rode to town on someone else's donkey, gave himself up for someone else's sins, and was placed in someone else's tomb, but got up on the third day with all power in his hand.