Seeking once again the Lord's
help, I'd like to draw your attention to the chapter that we read together,
the book of Hebrews chapter 12, and the text you'll find in verse
3. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners
against himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds. We've looked over the past few
weeks of the armour of God and that constant warfare which the
Christian has to wade through day by day. We are called to
consider the Lord Jesus Christ in his accomplishments as he
walked the road before us. As we know he was born into this
world and he walked a life of perfection He was tempted by
Satan, the scripture tells us, tried and tested in all points
as we are yet, without sin. And we know that he persevered
in faithfulness unto the Father. His will was not to do his own
will, but the will of him that sent him. and as he was despised
and rejected of men, as he was falsely accused and put to death
upon the cross and ultimately he gained that victory for his
people. as he rose again on the third
day after suffering the wrath of God for their sins. And so as we walk this narrow
way or the believer walks this narrow way that leads to life
and that way that has already been trod by the Lord Jesus Christ
and not only by the Lord Jesus Christ but there are multitudes
of believers that have gone before us. And many of their accounts
are written in the scriptures. We can read them quite freely. And we have in Hebrews 11 of
those that the Lord has seen fit to present to us as examples,
those who went through great trouble, yet ultimately they
were brought to their desired haven. They each looked for a
city that was out of sight, whose builder and maker was God, and
yet they still walked that pathway of a pilgrimage, that pathway
in enemy territory experiencing much opposition and persecution. And the scripture tells us that
there were those who were sawn in two, they were stoned, they
endured Cruel mockings, scourgings, imprisonment. They were stoned,
sawn asunder, tempted, slain with the sword. They wandered
about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented. And then it says, of whom the
world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and
in mountains and in dens and caves. And all these, having
obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise. So they looked for that coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ, but they wandered this world before
us. And as they walked this world,
though they built up material possessions, their ultimate goal
was not this world. It was the world beyond the grave. Their focus was not upon the
things round about them, but their focus was upon their heavenly
destination. where they were hoping to go
to be with the Lord. Personal experience and from
meeting with other believers that some people's lives they're
so difficult. and so hard and it's very easy
just to say stop self-pitying or stop looking within. Look
to the Lord Jesus Christ because our minds by nature are self-pitying,
we are self-absorbed. We're always worrying about ourselves
and what we are going through and it's very difficult to turn
our eyes outside and to focus on something that is taking place
other than what we are going through. Sometimes we used to
take Jesse to London, to St Thomas' Hospital, and we were absorbed
with him and his needs. But then as you walk through
that hospital, you see that there are people there who have far
greater needs. And often it's the case that
if you consider for a moment, there are people who are in a
far worse situation than we are. and what we are passing through.
And if you can't find anybody who is passing through a far
worse situation than we are passing through then look to the Lord
Jesus Christ for he passed through the worst situation that anybody
could pass through. The perfect spotless Lamb of
God accused before the court and then crucified, the innocent
Son of God. This man has done nothing amiss. And so we are told to consider
him, consider the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse two tells us, looking
unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith for the
joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame
and is set down at the right hand of God. The joy that was
set before him. the joy that was set before the
Lord Jesus Christ enabled him to pass through that period of
suffering. the joy that was set before him.
He looked beyond the suffering to that time in which he would
have completed that work that the Father gave him to do. He looked, as it were, through
the suffering. We know full well that the Lord
Jesus knew exactly what was going to take place. He was not entering
into something that he didn't know. He was fully aware of the
work that he had been given to do. He was fully aware of what
was going to take place. He was going to be given into
the hands of sinful men and crucified and then rise again the third
day. And so he knew but to get to
the joy that was the other side he had to pass through that great
sorrow and suffering and that humiliation that he passed through. He knew that he had to get through
that to receive all that the father would give to him. He
knew that he would be raised from the dead. He knew that in
rising from the dead he would secure a salvation for multitudes
of people, millions of people. He knew that 40 days after he
would ascend up into heaven and that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter
would come and enable the church to continue to grow. and to persevere
in the midst of opposition. He knew that he would sit down
at the right hand of the Father and be received into glory and
that begin his work of mediator and great high priest for his
beloved people. You know, one thing I think gave
Christ the greatest joy was that his people would be with him.
He knew that he had to pass through this suffering to redeem a people
for himself and then one day those people would be with him
forever and ever for all eternity for that's what he prays. In
his prayer in John 17 his desire is that his people will be with
him. when we are separated from our
loved ones. What is our joy? Our joy is when
they are returned, when there is that reconciliation, that
they come back. That is the joy. Even when children
leave home and go and start their own families, then the grandparents
delight in having them home to see them again. It is a joy. And so Christ has a joy to see
his children, which he has redeemed, brought to himself. And ultimately
that greatest joy will be when they are received into heaven
at last, when that salvation is fully complete and they are
received into glory. John 17, it says, in verse 23,
I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one,
that the world may know that thou hast sent me and that thou
loved them as thou has loved me. Father, I will that they
also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they
may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou loved
me before the foundation of the world. That's his desire. He
pauses at the end of verse 23 and then he says, Father, I will,
this is what I desire, that those people whom you have given me,
those people that are written on my heart, those people that
I lived and died for and was to rise again for, those people,
I want them to be with me. That is his joy, to see the completion
of his work, to have his brothers and sisters in Christ brought
to himself. those whom thou hast given me,
be with me where I am that they may behold my glory. Remember the word that the Lord
Jesus Christ told to Thomas, he says, blessed are they which
see not yet believe. At the moment you and I, we are
walking by faith, we can read of Christ, we can view him by
faith but we can't see him. We know that he is there seated
at the right hand of the Father. We feel the comfort of his Holy
Spirit in times of trouble. We're blessed through the Word
of God, but we can't see the Lord Jesus. We view him by faith,
but one day he says, I want them to see me in all of my glory. without a veil between. We see
things darkly at the moment yet one day that darkness will be
taken away and as we step into glory we will see Christ in all
his glory and that will be his joy and our joy. It's the word, the parable that
Jesus says, he says Well done my good and faithful servant. And so as we are told to consider
Christ, Christ also considered his people and the consideration
and the meditation of Christ upon his people enabled him to
pass through all that he had to accomplish for them, that
great punishment for their sin, that rejection of the father,
where the anger of God was poured out upon the son. My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me? And he gives up the ghost. What
enabled him was love to his people. The scripture tells us, doesn't
it? Well, Jesus says, greater love has no man than this, than
a man lay down his life for his friends. And as he loved his
people so much, so in that reconciliation at the time when they pass from
this world to the next, there will be joy. He says, for the joy that was
set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame and
is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. So as he considered his people,
we are to consider him. Nothing that you and I would
ever go through will compare to the sufferings of the Lord
Jesus Christ. no believer will ever experience
the rejection of God. And what the Lord Jesus Christ
experienced on the cross, no believer will ever, ever experience
that in their whole lifetime or for eternity. That is saved
up for those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ and are punished
in hell for all eternity. Christ experiences something
that you and I will never, ever have to experience. And so for
us to consider him is to take our minds of all that we are
passing through and I don't want to belittle anyone's situation
at all but as we focus on Christ and the cost of our salvation
and the way in which he was enabled to pass through that suffering
by focusing on his loved ones and the work of his salvation
so we are called to focus upon of the Lord Jesus Christ. To consider him. Consider his suffering. Consider him, his humiliation. Consider who he was. Nobody likes to come down, do
they? in life. We all like to climb
up the ladder of success. Nobody really likes to go down
the ladder of success. But the Lord Jesus Christ came
down the ladder. The scripture tells us that he
existed before Abraham was. existed with God the Father in
eternity past and yet to redeem his people he came down the ladder. The scripture tells us he made
himself of no reputation, made himself a little lower than the
angels for the suffering of death. We must consider that. that this God, man, the Lord
Jesus Christ stepped down from glory to this earth for you and
for me. And if we have been demoted in
life in some way then consider the Lord Jesus Christ and then
our demotion will not feel quite so bad at all. Everybody wants
to get to heaven. Everyone wants to be in glory. Yet Christ came down from glory
to save his people. Christ put on human flesh in
order that he may die. None of us, if we really are
honest with ourselves, would be happy to know the time of
our death. Yet the Lord Jesus Christ came
down from glory knowing the exact purpose of his life that he was
going to live to those 33 years and then he was going to die
and suffer for his own people and he made himself, the scripture
tells us. In Philippians, he made himself
of no reputation. humbled himself and became obedient
unto death. He was a voluntary act to stoop
down to save his people. Consider his life. Born to a very poor family. scripture tells us as he went
out into the ministry living off the kindness of others the
foxes have all holds and the birds of the air have nests but
the son of man has nowhere to to lay his head and when life
gets tough and we're struggling and trying to make ends meet
and wondering where the next meal is going to come from, consider
the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider what he went through
in his life to redeem you, to save you, to fulfil the law of
God for you. that he lived this life not in
luxury, not as he could have done as the king of the whole
world, yet he walked a lowly pathway. Consider Gethsemane when you're
lonely and you find that no one about you understands what you're
going through. consider the Lord Jesus Christ
in Gethsemane. The scripture tells us in his
greatest hour of need all his friends were asleep. Could you
not watch with me one hour as he meditated upon all that was
going to take place before him? Praying, if it be possible let
this cup pass from me. How many of us have prayed like
that? How many of us have passed through such trouble and we say,
Lord, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless,
not my will, but thy will be done. My friends are all asleep. No one understands. The scripture says he prayed
more earnestly. How often we don't pray more
earnestly. that we are discouraged. Our
eyes turn within and we think in a self-pitying way that we
are told consider the Lord Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane
alone when he most needed his friends yet God sent that angel
to strengthen him and encourage him to go forward. Consider the
Lord Jesus Christ in his trial. You know, I'm sure if people
examined our lives, they would find things that they could accuse
us with, things that we have said, things that we have done,
places that we have gone that we shouldn't done. And they could
find accusations against us. And yet they tried to make up
accusations for the Lord Jesus Christ and they lied about him. And even Pilate said, I find
no fault in him. I wash my hands of this situation. deal with it yourself and even
the thief next to him. He says we receive the just rewards
for our sins but this man has done nothing, nothing amiss.
And so when you feel to be persecuted or accused of something that
you haven't done think of the Lord Jesus Christ. totally, totally
innocent. No spot on his character whatsoever. No ghoul found, no lies or deceit
found in his mouth. Mind totally pure, his actions
totally pure and holy and yet they accused him and they crucified
him on the cross. Consider the Lord Jesus Christ. What does Isaiah tell us? As
led as a lamb to the slaughter, as a sheep before her, sheer
as his dumb, so he opened not his mouth. How often do we quickly
rile up and fight and try to stand our ground at the Lord
Jesus Christ. Not my will, but thy will be
done, O Lord. Consider him. Consider the cross. No, death is for criminals. Death is for sinners. Yet the Lord Jesus Christ is
the beloved Son of God. John the Baptist says, the Lamb
of God that takes away the sin of the world. Consider the cross. He suffered for his people, not
because he had done anything wrong, but because he voluntarily
gave himself as the Lamb of God to save his people. He was unjustly
crucified to save his people. He gave his
life as a ransom to redeem his people. And so we are told and
we pass through this life and we experience the trials and
hardships that this life has to offer. And when we are at
our wits end and we don't know what to do we are told, consider
him that endured such contradiction, such hostility against himself
lest you be wearied and faint in your minds to think about
him and all that he has done for you to enable you to get
to where you are now. If you look back to that time
before you were converted and if he hadn't have saved you where
would you be? I for one if I'd even be alive. If Christ hadn't have saved me
such as my mad course of life I would have been utterly lost. And so consider that. that he saved you from yourself
and brought you to himself by willingly descending the ladder,
living that humiliating life as the man of God and then giving
himself into the hands of sinful men so that you might be enabled
to go free. And then he says, as you pass
through these troubles, Just think about me and all that I
have gone through for you and consider what he thinks about
you. How often isn't it that we forget
what Christ thinks about us and we think that because we are
passing through a hard time that he doesn't like us anymore, he's
forgotten about us or he's just dealing with us and we can't
see where the scene will end. But that's Satan tells you that.
Satan tells you, he whispers into your ear, if he really loved
you, you wouldn't be passing through this situation. If you
were one of his people he wouldn't allow all of these things to
take place. He's a loving heavenly father
and so he causes you to take your eyes off the word and to
take your eyes off faith and to look at self and to look at
things from a human perspective. If you've ever washed children's
hair you'll find it's actually quite a difficult thing to do.
Children will not look up. When you are trying to wash a
child's hair, they will always look down, which makes matters
worse. The shampoo goes into their eyes
and they cry even more. And you're just saying, just
look up, just look up and it will run off the back and they
won't do it. And it takes years and years
for them to grasp. If I just look up and my hair
is washed, it will all go down my back and it will go out of
my eyes. And us Christians, we're just
the same. Satan says, just keep looking down. Keep looking at
the problem and it gets worse and worse, it gets in your eyes.
It gets worse and worse. And yet Jesus says, consider
him. Looking unto Jesus, looking up
to where he is, looking at those who have gone before, looking
at him who has gone before. They have endured, they have
gone through, they have completed their race. And he says, consider him. but
also consider what you mean to him. You see, we don't enjoy making
our children cry by washing their hair, but the washing of hair
is a necessity. And so Christ, it's not his pleasure
in bringing his children through difficult situations, but he
does so for their benefit because it's good for them to train them,
to look up to him, because he loves you. He loves you more than you will
ever know, more than you will ever realise. If we could truly
grasp how much it cost the Lord Jesus Christ to save us from
our sin, then we would truly know how
much he loves us. If we truly know how much Christ
loved us then we wouldn't listen to Satan telling us that he doesn't
love you because we'd be so focused upon the love of Christ that
we'd be unable to persevere and to float through as it were our
troubles and our difficulties. What brought me to Luke 12 was
the account of this ship sinking
on Sunday night, Monday morning. I was reading Luke 12 and just
about the rich man. I thought, well, This account in
Luke 12, 16 to 21 has just been played out in real time really
in the news. We have this great wealthy billionaire
who had just won some big case and has been set free. And he
goes and he has a party with his banker and his lawyer And
in the night, his boat suddenly sinks. And we find out today
that he's drowned. And the scripture, though we
do not know his standing before God, the scripture says, Thou
fool, this night thy soul will be required of thee. And as I
was looking at this account, my mind, my eyes caught in verse
24 and 27. where it uses the same word consider. You see as we're told to consider
him that endured such contradictions of sinners against himself left
he be weary and faint in your minds. He tells us also to consider
something else. As we walk this life as we experience
the different ups and downs that life has to throw at us We are
given in the scripture those illustrations to help us to understand
God's love that he has to us. We saw last Wednesday of those
illustrations of the animals. We are born on eagles wings and
the account of the hen covering her chicks. He tells us here
from verse 22 we're not to take thought for our life what we
shall eat or neither for the body what we shall put on for
the life is more than meat and the body is more than raiment
consider the ravens they neither sow nor reap which neither have
a storehouse nor barn and God feedeth them how much more are
ye better than the fowls and so he says consider as I look
after the birds as they are fed daily and they are not as valuable
as you how much more am I going to take care of you my beloved
child? If I feed the birds, if I feed
the animals in the wild, how much more am I going to take
care of you? You who drew me out of heaven,
you that I lived this perfect life for, you who I died upon
the cross for, you who I rose again for, how much more do I
love you than I love them? It's without a doubt that Christ
loves his people far more. And so he says, consider that. and which of you by taking thought
can add to his statue one cubit? If ye then be not able to do
that thing which is the least, why do you take thought for the
rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow, how they toil not,
they spin not. Yet I say unto you that Solomon
in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God
so clothe the grass, which is today in the field and tomorrow
is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you
of little faith? And seek ye not what you shall
eat or what you shall drink, neither be of a doubtful mind. For all of these things do the
nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows what ye
have need of these things. Remember what we looked at at
Job. He knows the way that I take. And when he has tried me, I shall
come forth as gold. Jesus repeats it. The Father
knows you have need of all of these things. And so consider
these things that I have put round about you that you can
focus on and be encouraged by. Although we can't see Christ
clearly, yet we can see his providential care of all of his creation. Although we can't see him clearly
we are to consider what we read about him in the scriptures and
his suffering to enable us to persevere under trial for the joy that was set before
him. What is our joy? What is set before us? What has
been presented to us as the finish line of the believer? It's glory. Glory, glory, glory. And so when we pass through great
turmoil and opposition and fire and difficulty, consider Christ and then focus on the joy that
is set before. Glory and heaven at last. For consider him that endured
such contradiction of sinners, lest ye be weary and faint in
your minds. There's a hymn that I was really
blessed with a few weeks ago. I'd like to read it to you. It's
just two verses actually. Consider the lilies, they don't
toil or spin. But there's not a king with more
splendor than them. Consider the sparrows, they don't
plant nor sow, but they're fed by the master who watches them
grow. May I introduce you to this friend
of mine, who hangs out the stars, tells the sun when to shine,
and kisses the flowers each morning with dew. Oh, but friend, he's
not too busy to care about you. Well, let's sing after that remarkable
sermon from Gadsby's Hymns 736 to the tune Holly 310. No, it's not. It's Brookfield. Show me some
token, Lord, for good, some token of thy special love. Show me
that I am born of God and that my treasure is above. Number 736. I am born of God. ? Application, Lord, is this ?
? That all my sins they be subdued ? ? That all thy precious promises
be fulfilled ? to my soul, and pave the way
by peace with thee. Thou spakest thy word. ? Spirit grow my heart ? ? And
cover all my words and ways ? ? Let grace abound in every part ?
? And teach my tongue to speak the truth ? may I say. O Lord our God, we do thank Thee
for Thy Word that has been given to us. We thank Thee for the
Lord Jesus Christ and we pray that our minds might be enabled
to focus and to consider Him in our pathway as we walk the
narrow way that leads to life. We pray for Thy blessing to rest
upon the services here on Thy day. Do help Edwin and Tom in
the morning and Mr. Philip As he preaches in the
evening, we ask, Lord, that they may know freedom and liberty
in their labours. Now do dismiss us, we pray, with
thy blessing, and may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and
the love of God the Father, with the fellowship and the communion
of the Holy Spirit, do rest and abide with us each now and forevermore. Amen.