Don’t you love it when you have momentum in your life? At work. With your physical fitness. When it comes to your finances. In your relationships. Here’s one definition for momentum:

momentum – the quality that keeps an event developing or making progress after it has started

Momentum is powerful when it is present in any area of our lives. I have created a framework for how to maximize momentum. It’s looking at your life or your work or anything through these 4 categories.

Momentum Creators: These are the people, activities, decisions, and work that create momentum in any area of your life. They get the ball moving in the right direction.

Momentum Sustainers: These are the habits that sustain the momentum that’s already been created.

Momentum Stallers: These are the things we do or more than likely the things we don’t do that keep our momentum from moving forward at the same rate of speed.

Momentum Killers: These are the things that actually kill our momentum or at least cause the momentum to head towards death.

You can apply this framework to any area of your life, but I want to talk about momentum when it comes to your faith. We’re starting a new series today called Don’t Shrink Back. While our spiritual growth isn’t linear much of the time, we do want to be on a path of progress. How do we keep moving forward in our faith, regardless of what we face? What are the things that help us start our faith journey or sustain our faith journey? What are the things that tend to stall our faith or even kill our faith?

We are going to spend the summer answering these kinds of questions. Starting today through the end of July, we’re going to be camping out in the last few chapters of Hebrews. The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians in the first century. We actually don’t know who the author of this letter is, but we can tell that the audience this book is written to had a grasp on the Hebrew scriptures, or what we call the Old Testament. This community was facing persecution because of their faith in Jesus, causing some to walk away from their faith. Before we get into today’s teaching, here’s a question I want you to reflect on:

Are you holding a faith that can hold you, regardless of what comes against you?

Hebrews 10:18-25 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary. Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

If you were to walk away from your faith in Jesus, what is likely to be the reason? I’ve seen people walk away from their faith because of disappointment, tragedy, suffering, distraction, greed, a guy or a girl, or simply because the commands of Jesus became too costly for them. These things can stall your faith and they could even kill your faith, but I want us to explore what I’m calling the title of my message today – “How to Keep Your Faith”.

If you want to keep your faith, get clear on the object of your faith.

The book of Hebrews is really all about how amazing Jesus is and that He is superior to Moses, all the high priests who came before, and He’s even superior to angels.

Hebrews 1:3-4 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

Jesus is the EXACT representation of God and He has all authority. He provided purification for sin and then sat down. What’s the point? The point is this – Jesus is seated because His work is finished. Through his finished work on the cross, He has paid for every sin.

Because of what Jesus has done for you, it is no longer necessary for you to pay for your sins.

Back to chapter 10, verse 18 “Sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.” To understand the point the author is making, you have to understand how it worked before Jesus showed up. Atonement had to be made – this is the only way God and man could be made one. One day a year, called the Day of Atonement, the high priest would go into the holy of holies to make sacrifice for the sins of the people. The blood of the animal is how he could come into the presence of God. Jesus has done away with that system. How? By giving his own blood.

Look at verse 19-20. “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have CONFIDENCE to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.” Why should we have confidence to enter the presence of God? Because Jesus has given us access.

Have you ever been given access to a place where you knew you didn’t really belong? Right after I graduated from university, I went to spend a month in China. I had only flown on an airplane a few times and I had never been out of the country. Because of my unpaid internship my last semester, I barely had any money. I should have been in a middle seat in row 67. But instead, I found myself wearing khakis and a polo because I was in first class (that’s how it went in January of 2000). How did a poor, 22 year old end up eating ice cream sundaes in first class? Well, it’s not because I’m awesome.

I went to a small church and there was a man in our church who was a pilot for Delta Airlines. Back then, you could give another person you’re a buddy pass which allowed them to fly first class on standby. I did nothing to earn it. He earned it for me, but was happy to give me the access to a place I could never have gotten to on my own.

This is what Jesus has done for us. He earned the way for us to enter The Most Holy Place – the very presence of God. None of us belong here on our own, but we should have so much confidence to enter it. This is why we read in verse 22 – “draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the FULL assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with water.” Sacrifice is necessary for our cleansing.

We keep our faith in Jesus when our faith rests on what He has done, not simply in what we can do.

The world tells us that self-confidence is the secret. That’s not true in God’s kingdom. Our confidence rests in Jesus – this is how we’ll keep our faith. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. We hold onto our faith because Jesus is faithful. How else might we keep our faith?

Spur one another on and keep the habit of meeting together frequently.

What are your practices for living in proximity to others who are following Jesus?

We have this value at Epic that you’ve probably heard us talk about. It goes like this: Together is better. But it’s not one of our values because we think it sounds catchy.

Together is better because the future of your faith is at stake. You cannot become all God wants you to be all by yourself.

I haven’t held onto my faith just because I’m a pastor. I haven’t held onto my faith because my life is always easy or successful. I’ve held onto my faith because of the people who encourage me in my faith often. Who are these people for me?

Shauna. We pray together daily. We share our questions and our doubts, as well as our weaknesses. We spur one another on with encouragement.

Our family has dinner every Sunday night with the same three families. We laugh. We cry. We pray. We hold each other up in our lives and in our faith.

I have a monthly guys group. There are 5 of us. We meet in the same booth at the same restaurant and talk about our faith, our marriages, our children, and our work. We also have a text thread that includes the hard things we’re going through, as well as the incredible things we’re experiencing.

Can you name five people who are helping you hold onto your faith?

If so, thank God for them and keep showing up frequently. If not, please create this in your life to increase the likelihood you’ll hold onto your faith. Attend some summer sessions. Introduce yourself to people in the lobby. Join a serving team.

“When we do not create a spiritual family with strong attachments, we cut off the flow of transformational power.” Jim Wilder and Michel Hendricks, The Other Half of Church‍