Hebrews chapter 12, the title of the message, A CALL TO STEADFASTNESS. A CALL TO STEADFASTNESS. Hebrews 11 shows us FAITH LIVED OUT UNTO THE END. These all died in faith. And Hebrews 12 calls us to FAITH CONTINUE. We CONTINUE to LIVE BY FAITH UNTIL THE END, UNTIL OUR END COMES.

They all LIVED BY FAITH and they DIED IN FAITH, NOT HAVING RECEIVED THE PROMISE, BUT WE HAVE RECEIVED THE PROMISE. We have received the Messiah. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the promised seed, all the way back to the Garden of Eden has come. He has come, but now think about this, 2,000 years has already gone by now since then. two thousand years.

He has gone back to glory, seated at God's right hand, and as it tells us in Corinthians, 1 Corinthians, that He is subduing all power and all authority and He's bringing it under His feet. He's going to subdue everything and present it up to the Father. That's what's going on. You know, by God's grace, I don't want to lose sight of what's really going on. If you look at the political landscape, you'll get messed up. You'll go off course. But if you keep your eyes on Christ, and that's what this is about, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, is we constantly looking to Him, constantly moving toward Him, growing in grace and in knowledge of Him until He comes AND TAKES US HOME ONE BY ONE.

THAT'S USUALLY HOW IT HAPPENS. ONE BY ONE. HERE, THERE, UNTIL FINALLY HE HAS TAKEN ALL HIS SHEEP HOME. AND THEN ONE DAY HE'LL COME AND HE'LL WIND ALL THIS UP AND DO AWAY WITH ALL THIS. THIS EARTH AND EVERYTHING THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS EARTH.

But we're called here to continue in the faith, to be FIRM, UNWAVERING, NOT TOSSED TO AND FRO WITH EVERY WIND OF DOCTRINE, and I'm confident you're not. You know, this congregation here is well established in the faith, but don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep. Ephesus what a great church left her first love. A pastor and I was talking the other day we were talking about those seven churches and we were talking about the church in our day not just any particular local church but the church as a whole and we both agreed that the church of the Laodiceans fit it today probably more than any of them.

Rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing. I do not believe that if you look at the history of the church that she has ever been as rich as she is now. And except for the grace of God, that's dangerous. It will lull you to sleep. It will put you to sleep. But we are not to be tossed to and fro with every winded doctrine, or be discouraged because of the chastening hand of God. God chastens those whom He loves. We ll look at this probably next week, Lord willing. But God chastens His sons and His daughters. We're not that good that we don't need to be chastised. You know, my parents loved me. I know they loved me, but they chastened me too. And I tell you what, they chastened me because they loved me. I'm getting in the next week's message.

But anyway, here, look in verse one. In verse one, we are given encouragement to endure. We looked at chapter 11 and he says here, Therefore looking back at chapter 11 and all those men and women of faith, therefore seeing we also are encompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. The family of faith in Hebrews 11 are like it here to a cloud. I went out today because this drew my attention to it, and when I went out today once to go over to the house, the WHOLE SKY was covered in a cloud. I mean, the WHOLE SKY. And I think one of the REASONS that it's compared to a cloud is because of two things. First of all, because they are above now. Clouds are above us. they are compared to clouds because they are above us, they are in heaven is where they are. It's also compared to a cloud because of its vastness, it covered all that I could see today, it covered everything.

You know the scripture says that there is an innumerable company of angels And John said he saw 10,000 times 10,000 thousands and thousands. That's a definite number for an indefinite number of saints. I know the scripture says, few there are that be saved. And here's what I think, here's why I do believe this. I think there are few adults that believe the gospel. How many do you run into? In your lifetime, how many have you ran into that believe the gospel? How many? I mean extremely few, extremely few. And I have no doubt, I have no doubt that the vast number that makes up the redeemed in glory are infants, children who've died, and mentally handicapped. I have no doubt about that whatsoever. Because there are a few adult people that I ever run into that believe the gospel. It's just so.

But heaven is called a city, it's called a country for its vastness. You know, hell is called a place, it's a place. But heaven for its vastness. He said, In my Father's house are what? Many MANSIONS, and that word means many DWELLING PLACES. no shortage of dwelling places and there's no vacancy either no vacancy now what are they a witness to what are these this cloud of witnesses what are they a witness to well they're a witness to us concerning the faith of God's elect they are not spectators now let's not get this Yes, you see athletes doing this, you know, they'll do something great, make a touchdown. And all my father was looking down on me or my parents, you know, no, they're not. But I'm going to leave it alone, but no, they're not. They're not the saints, the saints now, the saints of God. They're worshiping Christ, they're not looking down at us, they're looking to Him.

You know, the Word of God says, and I meant to write this down, it says, the former things will not come into remembrance. You won't remember this place. Not in the sense we know it now. That's why it says the former things will not come into mind. It won't come into mind. And I'm thankful for that, aren't you? I have to say this is one place I'd like to forget. I'm glad it's not going to come into remembrance.

But here's what they're a witness to. They're a witness to their life of faith. Their life of faith is a witness to us here below as we travel through. We see them and they encourage us. They encourage us. We find encouragement. When we see how they lived the life of faith and all the way to the end and they didn't quit. They didn't quit. And we know where they are right now. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, many of those, all those old saints. First of all, they are alive. Because it says that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Every one of them are alive. and they're with the Lord right now. And I say they're alive, they are really alive, they have life ABUNDANTLY! They have the ABUNDANCE OF LIFE! That's what they have. You know when a believer leaves this world, dies and leaves this world, they finally have what the scripture calls ABUNDANCE OF LIFE. They have it in its fullness. They have it in its fullness.

And then, but here, as we run this race, we are called to DISCIPLINE. LAYING ASIDE EVERY WEIGHT.

LAYING, that is continually, every day, every day when we get up, we have to lay aside the weight. We have to lay aside the weight every day. We have many weights to lay aside, don't we? Every morning I get up, you know what's the first thing I do? Well, I know you don't, you're not there. Rebecca's shaking her head at me. I step on the scales. And I say, Vic, I lost a pound. I told her that this morning. I said, well, I lost a pound. And here's why I'm telling you that right now, because the word weight here means this. The meaning is SUPERFLUOUS FLESH. EXCESS FLESH. That's what the word, the weight here means. SUPERFLUOUS FLESH. And it means to be reduced by training. Isn't that interesting? And I immediately thought of my wrestling days in high school. I had to lose 10 plus pounds every week. I had to shed that superfluous flesh. I had to do it every week. At 10, 15 pounds, I'd lose it every week. I learned how to do it. But it was excess weight. I couldn't even perform at that higher weight. I'd be disqualified. And he's saying here, you reduce this weight by training. What do you mean by training? Exercise of faith. It's the exercise of faith.

And here's what that includes. Here's what this includes. It includes dropping habits, relationships, or routines that slow spiritual growth. get rid of all those things and they may be good in and of themselves they may be good things we're not talking about evil things here we're talking about things that may be good lay it aside that's the way he said here lay aside every weight he's here he'll talk about sin here in a minute but here's that excess weight THINGS THAT WE DO, RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE HAVE THAT SLOWS DOWN OUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH. IF YOU'RE OFFERED A JOB PROMOTION AND IT TAKES YOU FROM THE GOSPEL, DON'T TAKE IT. THAT'S A DEMOTION. THAT IS A DEMOTION. IT'S NOT A PROMOTION IF IT TAKES YOU AWAY FROM THE GOSPEL.

and the sin which doth so easily beset," and that word beset means assail, "...and the sin which doth so easily assail us." You know, sin has an entangling engineering power about it, doesn't it? This has the notion of running with loose garment. That's the notion of it. It's like running with a loose garment. Have you ever tried running with a loose garment on? You can't do it. It gets tangled around your legs. And that's why it's saying that the sin does so easily assail us.

The Apostle Paul said to the Galatians in Galatians 5.7, You did run well, who did hinder you? Who hindered you? You did run well. But there was something you didn't. Someone you listened to, and you listened to them too long. You had an association, a relationship that you should have cut off. You should have cut them off. Instead you let them hang around, you listened to them, and now you're in a mess.

The sin here, I think first and foremost, is UNBELIEF. I think every time we talk about sin, the very root of all sin is UNBELIEF. It's UNBELIEF. Every sin comes from that root of UNBELIEF. But it also could mean some sin we may be PRONE TO. We may be prone to it. What about WORRY? What about DOUBT? What about anger? He said here, "...and the sin which doth so easily assail us, lay it aside, war against it, strive against it." You know the Apostle Paul said, I keep my body under subjection. And he's speaking here like in his mind, he's speaking as an athlete. Like they had these games back in those days, those Olympic games as we know them now. And he said, I keep my body under subjection. And I'm gonna paraphrase what he's saying. He said, I fight, I fight against that old nature. I fight, I strive against it. I don't give in to him. I strive against him. Lest when I preach Christ, I myself be a castaway of my ministry. I destroy my ministry. I bring reproach on the name of Christ.

Because I don't think he's talking about the eternal destiny of his soul. He didn't take it for granted. He said, Oh, that I might know Christ. But he knew the Lord saved him. But he knew this, he knew by his conduct he could destroy his ministry. He could destroy it. And he prayed it, and God gave him grace to deal with it, I know He did.

Listen to Psalm 119, 133. Order my steps in thy word, and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. We are prone to sin. And I think every one of us is prone to some particular sin. It may be, like I said, it may be anger. It may be worry. It may be doubt. I mean, you just name it. We've got so many problems. We do. But the emphasis here is on this, it's a deliberate mortification and discipline of the flesh.

Romans 8 verse 13, For if you live after the flesh you shall die, but if you live through the Spirit, it's not something you can do and I can do in our own strength. But by the Holy Spirit, mortify the deeds of the flesh, deaden, don't feed that old man. There's a reason why they say, Don't feed the bears. You won't get attacked. You won't get attacked.

And then we have the NATURE of the LIFE OF FAITH. And let us run with PATIENCE here in verse 1. And let us run with patience the race that is set before us. He's making reference here to those Greek games. And it's called a race here because it's not a sprint to the finish line, it's a race. And it may be a long one, it may be a marathon. You know, I've believed now for about nearly 50 years. Man, nearly 50 years has gone by since I heard and believed the gospel.

You know, if you're gonna run a long race, you're gonna have to pace yourself. You're not gonna win it in a day. And this race doesn't end until we die. It does not end until we die. And what this race requires, listen, it requires FAITH, PATIENCE, and ENDURANCE. That's what it requires. We run this race by FAITH. How would you like to run a race with nothing but doubts? Oh, I'm not going to make it. I can't win this race. I can't. There's no way I can run this race. I'm starting to hurt my sides. I don't know if you've ever ran. I know some of you probably ran long, but when I was young and running a lot, I'd run and my sides started hurting, my feet started hurting.

But you don't quit. You don't quit. You don't quit. We do not make haste, but we do make pace. We keep going. We keep going. We don't stop. We don't quit. We don't quit. You never lose. You never lose until you quit. You don't lose until you quit. And when you quit, you lost. And this race, it says, is set before us. We are not running our own race. We didn't design the course. God did. And the obstacles we are going to meet, God has put them in our way. You know that? He's put them in our way to deal with, to exercise us, to train us, to spiritually train us.

THIS RACE IS SET BEFORE US BY GOD AND IT'S SET ON PURPOSE. It's on purpose. He set us on this race and He did it on purpose. And He set the time that we will run this race. God set the time. Some start running it like I did at 22, 23 years of age. Some maybe older, some younger. You know, God sets the time. THAT WE ENTER THE RACE. BUT ONCE WE ENTER THE RACE, WE DON'T QUIT UNTIL THEY BURY US RIGHT OVER THERE OR WHEREVER YOU'RE GOING TO BE BURIED. THIS IS OUR TIME NOW TO RUN THE RACE. LORD, LET US RUN IT WELL. LET US RUN IT IN A MANNER THAT'S PLEASING IN HIS SIGHT.

And soon, listen, soon we will be a part of that cloud of witnesses above. Soon we'll be a part of that cloud of witnesses to those who are yet to come after us.

And now He makes a turn in verse 2. He now turns. He starts out with that cloud of witnesses that run in a race, but now He turns from the cloud of witnesses to the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the finish line. He turns to the finish line.

LOOKING UNTO JESUS. Faith is sustained by looking to the Lord Jesus Christ, not the cloud of witnesses. We draw encouragement from them. Yes, we do. They are examples, but they are not the object of faith. Jesus Christ is the object of faith.

Looking unto Jesus is what it says. But now this word LOOKING is in Greek, it's a verb that means this, LOOKING AWAY FROM EVERYTHING ELSE AND LOOKING TO CHRIST ALONE. That's the meaning of that word LOOKING. It's not just looking like I'm looking at you, you're looking at me. It's looking away from EVERYTHING ELSE, EVERYONE ELSE, and looking to CHRIST ALONE. It has the same meaning as SET YOUR MIND ON THINGS ABOVE. Your mind, your heart, your affection. You set them on things above.

Christ sits at God's right hand over in Colossians 3, I think that is. The Lord Jesus Christ, He's our FOCUS. Paul talks about pressing toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. He's the mark! He's the prize! He's our focus, He's our inspiration, and He's our example. He says He's the author and finisher of our faith. We didn't come up with it. I did not come up with faith. I didn't muster it up. No man convinced me. God gave it to me. Faith is the gift of God. God gave it to me. I believe because I can't help it. That's the only answer I can give you. I can't help it. I don't believe because my dad believed. I don't believe because of Henry. I believe because I can't help it. God gave me faith. He gave me faith.

And He's the AUTHOR of it, that is, the ORIGINATOR of it, the CREATOR of it, and the LEADER of it. He's the LEADER of it. And the FINISHER, He's the one that PERFECTS our FAITH. He that hath BEGUN a good work in you will PERFORM it until the day of Jesus Christ. And it's over in Philippians 1.6. And the FAITH that He gives, that HE gives, will one day give way to sight, and it will end in the salvation of our souls.

And listen here to what he says in verse 2, because His glory is our glory. This gives us encouragement to run the race. And this concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, who for the joy THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM, IT WAS SET BEFORE HIM. In that covenant of grace, it was set before Him by the Father. WHO FOR THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS, DESPISED THE SHAME, AND IS SET DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF GOD.

Get off yourself and contemplate that, meditate upon that. There's a man in glory. There's a man, he's very real. This is real as I am standing here. He's seated at God's right hand. And He's there for us. He's there for us. It says, He endured the cross. He didn't quit. He did not quit. That word endured. I did some word searching today. But that word endure means this, to remain FIRM UNDER SUFFERING WITHOUT YIELDING. That's what that means. He endured the cross, he remained FIRM UNDER THE SUFFERING OF THE CROSS WITHOUT YIELDING AND QUITTING, GIVE IT UP! And he despised the shame, he didn't welcome it, but he endured it. He endured it. The cross brought extreme. Shame to the Lord Jesus Christ, extreme shame.

That's why Paul told Timothy, he said, Timothy 2 Timothy 1.8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor me his prisoner. Don't be ashamed! And here's what that word means. Reluctant or unwilling to do something because of shame or embarrassment. DON'T BE RELUCTANT OR ASHAMED OR UNWILLING TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OR TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH ME BECAUSE IT'S EMBARRASSING OR YOU'RE ASHAMED OF ME. Our Lord didn't.

You know what it says about our Lord? He was not ashamed. He was not reluctant or embarrassed to call them brethren. He wasn't reluctant to call me and you brethren. I watched some of this program I saw the other night. It's where they search people's roots. And then I can't remember the name of the program. But anyway, they search people's roots. And there was one person there that refused to come on. Later on he apologized for it, Ben Affleck, because he was embarrassed of his roots. He was embarrassed. He didn't want to be identified with it. Christ was not ashamed to be identified with sinners like me and you. He wasn't ashamed at all. He wasn't reluctant or embarrassed at all about it. Think about that. Next time you feel a little bit ashamed about somebody, think about that. because He was not ashamed to call us brethren.

And here's His motivation. For the joy set before Him, the joy of victory, My servant shall not fail. He had assured victory. And then the joy of having the redeemed with Him in heaven. He said, Father, I will, in John 17, I will, that they be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory, the glory I had with you before the world was. HE'S LIKE, I WANT THEM TO SEE MY GLORY THAT I HAVE WITH YOU! I WANT THEM TO SEE THIS! HAVE YOU EVER BEEN SOMEWHERE AND YOU SEE SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL, YOU JUST, OH, I WANT SO-AND-SO TO SEE IT, WHETHER IT BE YOUR SPOUSE OR, OH, I JUST WANT THEM TO SEE, I WISH THEY WERE HERE TO SEE THAT! CHRIST SAID, THEY'RE GONNA BE HERE! I WANT THEM HERE TO SEE THIS UNIMAGINABLE GLORY! YOU RECKON THAT'LL HAPPEN?

Yes, it will. And then the joy of going back to glory and be with His Father. He'd go back to glory where He's loved and not hated and despised and rejected. WHERE ALL THE HOLY ANGELS BOW DOWN TO HIM AND WORSHIP HIM. LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM. THERE HE HAS FULL WORSHIP AND GLORY AND HONOR THAT HE SHOULD HAVE HAD HERE, BUT WE DESPISED AND REJECTED HIM. BUT O'ER THE JOY OF GOING HOME, CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT? THIS PLACE WAS A CESSPOOL FOR HIM. IT WAS A CESSPOOL It was a den of thieves, a den of liars, and a den of devils. And He came here and redeemed some sinners and He's gone back to home! He's gone back to glory, home! Back where He was before He came here into this world. Well, that's joy, the joy set before Him. You go over and read Isaiah 53, 10 and 11, you'll see something of that joy. He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied.

And then the result of his exaltation is this, he's seated at the right hand of God. You go over in Philippians and it speaks of Him being EXALTED. There is no name above His name. His name is exalted above every name. Every knee is going to bow, every tongue is going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Aren't you glad that you have done so here? That you confessed that here willingly? God made you willing, but you do it willingly. There's going to be a lot of people that are going to do it unwillingly, but they're going to do it.

BUT REMEMBER THIS, SUFFERING, HIS SUFFERINGS AND OUR SUFFERING IS NOT THE FINAL CHAPTER. Go over in a book of Revelation and read the final chapter. It's not suffering. Wipe away all tears from their eyes and sorrow. That's the final chapter. That's our final chapter.

Now what are we to do here in verse 3? What are we to do when suffering comes our way? Because it's coming! It's coming. It doesn't always come like it did on Job. But we all suffer in a measure as God measures it out to us. Well, here's what we do. Consider Him. That word consider has to do with meditate. Think upon. Think upon careful continual meditation on the Lord Jesus Christ. His opposition was far, far greater than ours. Paul calls our afflictions light. He never called the afflictions of Christ light. He never called them light. But He says ours is like compared to His and compared to the glory that's about to be revealed in us, not just to us, but in us.

And why consider Him? It helps prevent weariness and discouragement in this race. I tell you what, what your mind is on has a whole lot to do with how your day's going to go. I'm telling you, what your mind is set on is going to have a lot to say about whether you're going to have a good day or a bad day, or you're going to be angry all day, or you're going to find some peace and rest and some calmness in this messed up world.

Consider Him, and consider this when you suffer. When you suffer, there in verse 4, remember this, you have not resisted unto blood striving against sin. I don't know, me personally, I don't know any person, any believer, whose blood was shed because of their sins. It ought to be, but it wasn't. It's not. I've never strived against my sins. And I got plenty of them in me, but I've never strived against any of it to the point where I've bled for it, I've bled over it. I haven't done it. We strive, he says here, striving against sin. WE DO NOT MANAGE SIN. WE STRIVE AGAINST IT. WE DON'T MANAGE IT. I'M NOT TRYING TO MANAGE MY SIN. I STRIVE AGAINST IT. WAR AGAINST IT. WE WAR AGAINST THE FLESH.

Now closing, Perseverance that we're called to here flows from looking to the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, when it tells us to look under Jesus, it's telling us to look to a real person. Not a creed, as we sang in the song. Not a creed, not a doctrine. We don't look to Calvinism. We look to Jesus Christ. No ism ever saved me. Jesus Christ did. He did.

Now suffering is NORMAL in the life of a believer, it's not the EXCEPTION, it's NORMAL. I'll tell you what's the problem if we're NEVER suffering, if we're never. We're too quiet, we're too quiet about the TRUTH.

Then last of all, the Lord Jesus Christ, His exaltation guarantees the outcome of the believer's race you see his exaltation guarantees the outcome of the race it's already won i have already crossed the finish line in christ i have all right