I've entitled the message for
tonight, A Message to the Weary and Faint. A message to the weary and faint. Now, you would think after he
makes this glorious statement, looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before
him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at
the right hand of the majesty on high. You would think that
with such an exhortation, we wouldn't need to be told not
to be weary and not to be faint. You'd think that, wouldn't you?
But look what he says in verse 3. For consider him that endured
such contradiction, hostility, trouble of sinners against himself,
lest you be wearied. Lest you be wearied. and faint in your own minds. Let me give you some other translations. Lest you grow weary and give
up. Lest you be wearied in your souls
being faint. Lest you be weary and discouraged
in your souls. Lest you be weary and give up. Lest you be weary and become
faint hearted. Lest you grow weary and lose
heart. Have you ever been there? You know it's wrong. You know
you have no justified reason for feeling that way. But still
here you are. Weary. And faint. Disillusioned. Disappointed. Worn out. Burned out. Despondent. depressed, disenchanted,
discontent, dissatisfied, disgruntled, let down, frustrated, discouraged,
debilitated, jaded, drained, spent, dead. That's what that word faint means. Now, how can this be possible
for a believer to have that kind of attitude? It's real easy for
me to answer that question. It's called sin. Turn with me for a moment to
Isaiah chapter 43. Hold your finger there and turn
to Isaiah 43. This is one of the saddest verses
of scriptures. Verse 22, this is God speaking. Isaiah chapter 43 verse 22, but thou has not called upon
me. Oh, Jacob, but thou has been
weary of me. Oh, Israel. Now what a sad commentary. You've not called upon me. You
have been weary of me. How could we grow weary of the
Lord? That's what he says to Jacob
and Israel. You've not called upon me. You
stayed away. You've actually grown weary of
me and tired of me. How? It's what the scripture calls
the flesh. Do you know that you, if you're
a believer, you're no more holy right now than you will be in
heaven? Think about that. Right now. You will be no more holy in heaven
than you are right now. You sure don't feel that way.
That lets us know to some extent how much the flesh can drag us
down. It was said of Elijah by James,
he was a man of like passions with us. Now think about that, Elijah.
Mighty prophet of God, he was said to be a man of like passions
with us. The same weak, sinful flesh that
you and I have, subject to the same problems that we have. Elijah,
a man of like passions. He's just like you are. It's
hard to believe, isn't it? But it's so. He's a man of like
passions. You see, that which is born of
the flesh is flesh, and he had that. It'll never rise above
that. I think of 1 Kings chapter 16
or 18, that mighty contest with the false prophets on Mount Carmel,
how they were all defeated and he slew them all. And in chapter
19, he's afraid of Jezebel. He runs and he's so discouraged. He says, Lord, kill me. Just
kill me. I'm no better than my father's,
things are no good, just kill me. There's no point in me even
living. You know what the Lord did? He made him go to sleep, two
times. He made him go to sleep and he
fed him. Sometimes improper rest, and
improper eating can play a role in our weakness and fainting. The Lord had him sleep twice
and he fed him twice before his journey to Mount Horeb. And something
else that we know about Elijah is what he believed was wrong.
He said to the Lord, I'm the only one, I'm left alone and
everybody's wanting to kill me. I'm the only one, was he? No. The Lord said, I've reserved
7,000 men to myself that have not bowed the knee to the image
of Baal. He had the wrong information,
didn't he? That can certainly contribute
to this fainting and this weakness. Elijah was wrong. And he was
thanked. And I repeat, when James says
Elijah was a man of like passions, he's saying he had all the problems
the flesh, me and you have. Elijah, the man that appeared
to the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration. What a special man, the greatest
of the prophets. Elijah, a man of like passions
as me. He's got the same problems that
I do and that you do. Now there can be so many things
that cause weariness and fainting. I've already mentioned wrong
information. Elijah, it's not like you think
it is. Improper rest, sickness, that we can't separate ourselves
from our bodies. You're sick. It's going to affect
you. We live in these bodies. There
can be chemical imbalances in your body where the body chemistry
gets skewed, and you can turn into a basket case because of
that. That's so. There is mental illness. It's
real. It can throw you into a deep depression. There can be difficult
circumstances and trials. There can be traumatic events,
disappointments with people, disappointments with the way
things turn out. You thought it'd be different.
Disappointments with yourself? Like the children of Israel who
became much discouraged because of the way? I think of what the
Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians chapter one, he said, without
were fightings, within were fears. That was his experience. He said
in 2 Corinthians chapter four, verse seven, we have this treasure. in earthen vessels, jars of clay,
mud pots, that the excellency of the power may be of God and
not of us. He said, were perplexed, troubled
upon every side, perplexed, persecuted, cast down, But we're not distressed. We're not in despair. We're not
forsaken. We're not destroyed. Listen to
this cry of Paul. This man, inspired by the Holy
Spirit, makes this statement. And he wasn't being cliche. Oh,
oh, from the depths of his heart. Oh, wretched. That's a strong
word, isn't it? Oh, wretched man that I am. Weak. Weary. What's the cure for this? Well,
you just need to have more positive outlook. Come on, quit thinking
the glass is half empty. Look at it, it's half full. Get
a positive outlook. Maybe counseling or therapy,
maybe antidepressants. These things may have their place. I'm not speaking against those
things, but there's nothing that can do as good as the consideration
of Him. Consider Him. Wouldn't that be a blessing of
God's grace if God would enable us truly to consider Him. What could be better than that?
To consider Him. Now on his way to sitting down
at the right hand of the throne of God, he endured continual
contradiction, hostility, opposition, not only from his enemies, but
even dealing with his disciples. You know that passage of scripture
when he said to Philip, Philip, have I been so long time with
you? And yet thou has not known me. He said at another time,
how long shall I suffer you? And that's the Lord speaking
to his disciples. How do you think he felt as a man when he
watched all of them forsaken? On the cross, those who should
have been with him were gone. He endured opposition continually
against his enemies and even his friends, his disciples. But he endured all the way to
the end. Having loved his own, listen
to this scripture. John chapter 13, verse one, having
loved his own, Well, I'm so glad he's got a people called his
own, aren't you? I want to be one of those people, don't you?
Having loved his own, which were in the world, he loved them unto
the end. Now, the writer of the Hebrew
says to these people who were becoming discouraged, they were
being persecuted. They were thinking, is it worth
this? We're losing our goods. They had so many disappointments
like you and I have. He says, you have not resisted
unto blood, striving against sin. Now consider, contemplate
him, the one we're looking to. Now, when he says looking unto
him, and then he says, consider him, I don't believe there's
too much difference between the two, is there? If you look to
him, you will consider him. And if you consider him, it will
be looking to him. Now, real briefly, turn to Hebrews
1. Let's consider him. God, who at sundry times and
in diverse manners, spake in times passed into the fathers
by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken to us. He's the God who speaks. I love
that. He's the God who speaks. His Son, whom he hath appointed
heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds, who being
the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person,
and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had
by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
majesty on high, consider him. Chapter two, verse 11. For both he that sanctifies,
he's the one who sets you apart. He's the one who makes you holy.
It's his work. He does it. Both he that sanctifies And they
who are sanctified are all of one. This is speaking of the
unity of Jesus Christ and his church. They're all one. They're
not close together. They're one. The same stem that
goes through the vine goes through the branches. They're one. And here's what happens as a
result of that for the witch cause. He's not ashamed to call
them brethren. That's my brother. Those are
my brethren. Chapter three, verse one. Wherefore,
holy brethren. That's what the Lord calls you.
You know why? You're a holy brother. That's
true with regard to every believer. Holy. Be ye holy, for I am holy. The only way you can be holy
is if you are holy. And every believer is a partaker
of his holiness. He calls them holy brethren.
Partakers of the heavenly calling, consider. Consider. Ponder. Think about the apostle
and high priest of our profession. Christ Jesus, what a high priest
he is. He's not like these human high
priests offering up blood sacrifices in some tabernacle that nobody
can see into. He's in heaven itself right now
presenting his blood to the Father and making us continually accepted. Consider the apostle and high
priest of our profession. Chapter four. Seeing then, verse 14. seeing
then that we have a great High Priest that's passed into the
heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, Let us hold fast our profession,
for we'd have not a high priest, which cannot be touched with
the feeling of our infirmities, but was at all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin. I remember thinking before I
understood what that verse of scripture means, how can he be
touched if he's never sinned? Because he never sinned. How can he be touched by me feeling
so forsaken and forlorn and depressed by sin? He's felt all that, although
he never sinned in himself, he's felt that much more acutely than
you or I have because he experienced everything about sin but the
commission of it. Do I understand that? Of course
not. But when I am feeling so far away and so alone and so
isolated because of my sin, this passage of scripture says he's
touched He's touched. He's moved to sympathy
with the feeling of my infirmities. Let us therefore come boldly
under the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. Oh, consider him. Look in chapter
five. Verse six, as he said in another
place, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,
who in the days of his flesh, this is talking about Gethsemane's
garden, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with
strong cryings and tears unto him that was able to save him
from death and was heard in that he feared though he were a son,
yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered and
being made perfect, he became the author of What's that next
word? Eternal salvation. Not temporary salvation, eternal
salvation. A salvation that never began
and a salvation that will never end. Consider him. Look in chapter
six, verse 19, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
both sure and steadfast, which enters into that within the veil.
Wherefore, the forerunner is for us entered. Do you hear that? The forerunner is already there
representing you. Even Jesus made a high priest
after the order of Melchizedek. Consider him. Look in chapter
seven, verse 25. Wherefore, he is able also to
save them to the, what? Uttermost. Do you know that? Goes beyond defining that. Can't
even give a proper definition to it. The utter most. Consider him. He's able to save
them to the uttermost that come to God by Him. I wouldn't come
any other way, would you? Simply being found in Him. Chapter eight, verse one. Now
of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum, we have such
an high priest. who is set on the right hand
of the majesty in the heavens. There he is right now, and we
have him as our high priest. And look what he says in verse
12. He says, for I will be, not I might be, not I will be if,
I will be merciful, propitious is the word, to their unrighteousness
and their sins and their iniquities. I remember no more. You know
why he doesn't remember him? Because there's nothing there
to remember. He put him away. He's got a mighty good memory.
And the only way he can forget something if there's nothing
there for him to remember. Look in chapter nine, verse 24.
For Christ did not enter into the holy place made with hands,
which are figures of the truth, but into heaven itself. Now, Right now, while me and
you are sitting here, looking at his word, right now, there's
a man in glory. For Christ is not an entity of
the holy place made with hands, which are figures of the true,
but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God
for us, Well, that cheers me up. There's somebody appearing
in the presence of God for me. Nor yet that he should offer
himself often as the high priest entered into the holy place every
year with the blood of others. For then must he have often suffered
since the foundation of the world. But now, once in the end of the
world, hath he appeared, this is talking about his first appearing,
to put away sin. by the sacrifice of himself,
and is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto
them that look for him shall he appear the second time without
sin. Unto salvation, chapter 10, verse
14. For, consider him, for by one
offering, He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Chapter 11, we have all these
glorious examples of these men who the Lord gave grace to bear
witness to us. Consider who he is. Consider
Him. Consider who He is. He's the
Son of God. He's God the Son. He's the Great
I Am. He's the Man Christ Jesus. The
God Man. He's Jesus, the Savior. He's the Lord. He's the Lord. I love thinking
of this. He's everybody's Lord. He's Lord
of the dead and the living. Somebody says, he's not my Lord.
Yeah, he is. You just don't know it. He's your Lord. You're in
his hand. He is the Lord. He is the Christ,
God's prophet, God's priest, God's king. Consider what he
did. Let me tell you what he did. He gives a summary of what
he did in John chapter 17, verse four. I have glorified thee on
the earth. I have finished the work thou
gavest me to do. Now that's what he did. He glorified
his father completely. He honored the law completely.
He glorified every attribute of God and that work of saving
his people from the sins, he finished it. It's already done.
There's nothing for you to do. Relax. There's nothing for you
to do. It's done. Consider where he is right now
as we speak, seated at the right hand of the Father. What's he
doing there? He's ruling, controlling, sitting, his work being finished,
making intercession for his people. And that doesn't mean that I
sinned. He says, well, he did it again,
but forgive him again. No, his presence before the Father says
everything that needs to be said. He's waiting. until he returns. Now when King David was greatly
in distress, you can read about this in 1 Samuel chapter 30,
he was living in a place called Ziklag and the Amalekites had
raided Ziklag and they took off The 600 men's wives and children. And we read in 1 Samuel 30 verse
6, And David was greatly distressed, for the people spake of stoning
him. He was their leader. And he said, we need to get rid
of this guy. The people spake of stoning him because the soul
of the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters
But David encouraged himself in the Lord, his God. There's always a reason to be
encouraged, isn't there? As long as he is and he's on the throne,
there's always a reason for the faint and weak to be encouraged. And I want to close by going
to Galatians chapter six. Galatians chapter six, verse nine. This is the second
time Paul says this in his epistles. He said it also in second Thessalonians
three 13, but he makes this statement in verse nine and let us not
be weary in well-doing. You know, what's going on right
now is well doing. Hearing the gospel. Meeting with
God's people. It's well doing. Your encouragement
to others. Let us not be weary in well doing. For in due season we shall reap
if we think not. Now I was listening to a message
by Brother Mahan that he preached on this verse of scripture in
1974. And the church had been in existence
at that time, as far as the local assembly, for 24 years. And he was preaching on this
passage of scripture, not being weary and well-doing. He made
this statement. He said, when we started, we had, he gave the number of
the people, kids. He said, 24 years later, half
of those people no longer attend. I'm sure they have a good excuse
in their own mind. They've got a good reason. But
half of those people living here in town do not attend this church. And he said the reason is they
have become weary in well doing. That's a very sobering thought
to me, let's see what led Paul to make this statement. I look
up in verse one of Galatians chapter six, bravery. If a man be overtaken in a fault,
a sin, a trespass. Bring him up before the board
and excommunicate him, discipline him, expose him, show how bad
he is, kick him out of the church. No. If a man be overtaken in
a fault, can you understand that? How easily you can be overtaken
in a fault? the trespass, a sin, always a
grievous thing. But if a man be overtaken in
a fault, you which are spiritual." Who's that? Everyone that's spiritual,
everyone that's been born of the Spirit, everyone who is a
believer. That's who the spiritual person
is, well I'm spiritual, people make that, every believer is
spiritual, no one believer is spiritual. Ye which are spiritual. Restore such a one in the spirit
of meekness considering thyself lest thou also be tempted." Don't
you know that if you're tempted apart from God's grace, you will
fall. You know that, don't you? That's why we pray, lead us not
into temptation. I don't even want to be tempted. I know what
happens when I'm tempted. Lord, let me not be tempted.
Let me not be tempted. I know that I'm going to do what
this brother did. Considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Verse two, bear ye one another's
burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. I have many things
that burden me about myself. You have many things that burden
you about yourself. Bear one another's burdens. Now
that doesn't mean let everybody articulate to everybody, here's
what my problems are. That's not what, Put up with
one another. Your sin's a burden to you. Your
brother's sin's a burden to him. Bear one another. Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven
you. Paul said in Colossians 3, 12, forbearing one another
and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against
any, as Christ forgave you, so do ye. Bear ye one another's burdens
and so fulfill the law of Christ. Now here's the law of Christ. bury one another's burdens. Four, I love this first description.
For if a man think himself to be something, when he's nothing,
he deceives himself. You know, there was a young man
that had a very high opinion of himself and he was trying
to act pious and humble. And he came up to his pastor
and he said, pray for me that the Lord will make me nothing.
And pastor said, you're already that. You're already there. Own it. If a man thinks himself
to be something when he's nothing. You know,
there's something good about being a nothing. I'm a poor sinner
and nothing at all, but Jesus Christ is my all in all. Oh, it's sweet to be a nothing
because when you're nothing, Christ is everything. But if
you think you're something, you've deceived yourself. Verse four,
but let every man prove his own work and then shall have rejoicing
in himself alone and not in another. Look at yourself and don't look
at someone else. Bear your own and don't add to
somebody else is what he's saying. For every man, verse five, shall
bear his own burden. Verse six, let him that's taught
in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good
things. That's talking about the support
of the pastor. And that's more than financial support. Be an
encouragement to him. Communicate to him. Verse seven, be not deceived. God's not mocked. For whatsoever
a man soweth, that shall he also reap. You're gonna get out of
it what you put into it. And for he that soweth through
his flesh, what's he gonna reap? Corruption. He that soweth through the Spirit
shall of the Spirit reap. Life everlasting, so let us not
be weary in well-doing. And this tells us what well-doing
is, this passage of scripture that I've just read. And then
we have this promise. For in due season, we shall reap. That's God's promise. Don't quit. Don't be wearied. In due season,
we shall reap. if we don't quit. It's he that endureth to the
end. That's the one who shall be saved. Consider him, how glorious he
is. The fact that he's made himself
known to you, that you see his beauty, that you trust him, he's
given you faith. Consider him. You think you have
a hard time with the way people treat you? Become discouraged,
hurt feelings, unappreciated, and so on? Consider him that
endured such contradiction of sinners against himself. Listen,
he had it a whole lot worse than you ever did or ever will do. Consider him that endured all
the way to the end. He didn't stop. He endured such
contradiction of sinners against himself, lest you be weary and
faint in your mind. It's a real reality, isn't it?
It's easy for us to become weary and faint, but we ought not consider
him. Let's pray. Lord, how beautiful and glorious
and perfect your son is. How beautiful and glorious and
perfect his salvation is. Lord, how we thank you that he
saves such imperfect, sinful people for your glory. and for the love he bears to
his own. Lord, we are weak. We're liable to faint. We ask
that you would give us the grace at all times to consider him
and to look unto him. In his name we pray, amen. Mac, would you come, please?
I'm closing in.