Jesus: Our Vision Throughout the Centuries
When I first visited Keyport Bible Church last fall, I was asked many different questions: What is your stance on this or that? What Bible translation do you prefer? Who are some of your favorite authors? Are you a coffee or tea drinker? And, perhaps most importantly, are you willing to become a Seahawks fan? At some point, someone turned the question around and asked if I had any questions for the church.
I did. I asked, “Should the Lord tarry, and Keyport Bible Church is still here 100 years from now, what do you hope future members will say about this generation?”
The answer was remarkably consistent. It was essentially this: “We were faithful in proclaiming God’s unwavering faithfulness to us.” It wasn’t, “We were perfect.” It wasn’t, “We did everything right.” It wasn’t even, “We accomplished great things.” Rather, there was a desire that the generation who came after us would know that we had faithfully proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ.
As we celebrate 100 years of God’s faithfulness to Keyport Bible Church, I believe that this desire connects us to the men and women who came before us—the very people who planted this church here in Keyport. Long before a blueprint was drawn or a stone was laid, believers in Keyport and throughout Kitsap County gathered for worship in homes. They testified to the God who, before the foundation of the world, had already established His plan for the redemption of mankind.
These early saints understood that the Church was never ultimately about a building. The stone had been rolled away, and Christ had become the cornerstone. God was building something far greater: a people, a holy nation made up of Jew and Gentile, being built together as living stones into a spiritual house upon Christ, the solid rock and foundation of our faith.
The founding vision of Keyport Bible Church was therefore not merely to establish a building or secure a piece of property. Ultimately, they longed to see people come to know, love, and worship Jesus Christ—the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
And that vision is biblical. It is the vision we see throughout the teaching and witness of the apostles: men and women who had encountered the risen Christ and who were willing to lay down everything—even their lives—to follow Him and keep His commandments. So, out of respect for those who came before us, out of obedience to Christ, and out of faithfulness to the teaching of the apostles, I believe we must carry that same vision into the next century of ministry.
Why must Jesus remain our vision? There are many reasons, but three stand out. First, sin is still rampant in our world. Sin continues to deceive and ensnare individuals. It entangles families, communities, and even nations. Though our circumstances may change and our culture may look different from the culture of 1926, humanity’s fundamental problem has not changed. We are still sinners in need of a Savior.
Second, sinners still need to hear that their sins can be forgiven. The Apostle Paul asks in Romans 10, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” We have good news. The Church has been entrusted with the proclamation of the gospel—the good news that Jesus Christ died for sinners, rose again, and offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who believe in Him. Therefore, we cannot keep that message to ourselves. We have the privilege and responsibility of making Christ known to a world that is perishing apart from Him.
Third, there is no vision more glorious than Christ Himself. There is nothing more captivating, more beautiful, or more worthy of our attention than the glory of the crucified and risen Christ.
That is why Hebrews 12:1–3 gives us such a fitting picture for a church entering its second century. The Christian life is described as a race—a race requiring endurance, discipline, and perseverance. We run surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses,” the saints who have gone before us and whose lives testify to the goodness and faithfulness of God. They have finished their race. We have not. And that matters.
Because we have not yet crossed the finish line, we must be careful that we do not fail to finish well. I believe there are at least two great dangers that every church faces in every generation. The first is that we begin with the right vision, but somewhere along the way we shift our gaze toward sinful or lesser things. The second is that our documents, signs, buildings, and words proclaim that Jesus is our vision, while the lives of our people tell a different story.
What good is it to begin a race well, only to turn aside just before the finish line because we became distracted by some temporary treat or trinket? What good is it for a church to gather in a beautiful building with crosses on the walls and Bible verses over the doors if the people inside neither take up their crosses nor believe the Word of God? How tragic would it be to preserve the appearance of Christianity while losing sight of Christ Himself?
This is what happens when we shift our gaze away from Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.
Imagine if Jesus Himself had turned aside. Imagine if, for even a moment, He had stopped looking toward the joy that was set before Him. If Christ had not finished His race perfectly, there would be no reason for us to celebrate today. There would be no forgiveness of sins. No hope of resurrection. No Church. As Paul reminds us, if Christ has not been raised, our faith is futile and we are to be pitied above all people.
But Christ did not turn aside. “For the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Amen.
Christ did not desire the suffering of the cross for its own sake. He did not delight in bearing the wrath of God against sin. Rather, He willingly and lovingly endured the cross because He knew what lay beyond it. On the other side of that finish line was the glory of the Father, the exaltation of the Son, the outpouring of the Spirit, and the reconciliation of God and humanity.
Jesus saw the joy set before Him—and He endured.
So here is the question for each of us: Is Christ your vision? Is He your life? Is He your prize? If He is not, then course-correct today. Lay aside every weight. Lay aside the sin that so easily entangles. And look to Jesus.
And this is important for us as a church. Jesus cannot truly be our vision if we are all looking toward different things. We must have a united gaze. There is only one Jesus. There is one mediator between God and humanity. There is one name under heaven by which we must be saved.
Our methods may change. Our buildings may change. Our ministries may change. Our community may change. The world around us will certainly change. But Jesus Christ does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That is why our vision must remain fixed upon Him.
Perhaps you are weary today. Perhaps you are fainthearted. Perhaps you are discouraged by what you have experienced in life or by the response of the world to the gospel. Hebrews 12:3 gives us a simple command: “Consider him.”
Consider Jesus.
He understands suffering. He was despised and rejected. He was mocked, slandered, beaten, tortured, and crucified. He knows what it means to be opposed by the world. And yet, even that statement does not fully capture what Christ endured.
We sometimes ask whether Jesus can relate to us in our suffering. But perhaps the better question is whether we can even begin to comprehend His. We will never fully grasp the weight of what Jesus willingly suffered on the cross for us.
And that is precisely why He is worthy of our attention. He is worthy of our time. He is worthy of our worship. He is worthy of our obedience. He is worthy of our very lives.
One hundred years from now, should the Lord tarry, I hope those who gather at Keyport Bible Church will look back on our generation and say something simple: They were faithful.
They were not perfect. They did not get everything right. But they faithfully proclaimed the faithfulness of God. They kept their eyes on Jesus. They treasured His Word. They proclaimed His gospel. They loved His Church. And they passed the faith on to those who came after them.
May that be true of us. And may those who come after us do the same.
For buildings will change. Generations will pass. Methods will change. Communities will change. But Jesus Christ remains.
So let us run the race set before us. Let us lay aside every weight and every sin that entangles us. Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.
And may He remain our vision throughout the centuries.
Written by Jesse Mitchum
Adapted from the sermon delivered on Oct. 3rd, 2026 at KBC’s 100 Year Celebration